I am selling my flat in Sefton and the estate agent has just e-mailed to advise that the purchasers are switching law firm. The excuse is that the lender will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a big named lender only deal with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in Sefton ?

Banks have always had panels of law firms they are content to work with, but in the last few years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for over 25 years.

Lending institutions attribute this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The buyers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my house can not be found. The lawyers who conducted the conveyancing in Sefton 10 years ago are no longer around. What do I do?

Assuming you have a registered title the information relating to your proprietorship will be evidenced by HMLR under a Title Number. It is possible to conduct a search at the Land Registry, locate your house and get up to date copies of the property title for less than a fiver. If the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases hold a certified copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be obtained for £20 inclusive of VAT.

I am buying a new build apartment in Sefton. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.

Here is a sample of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Sefton

Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. Please supply a car parking plan. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore.

I need to find a conveyancing solicitor for purchase conveyancing in Sefton. I happened to land on a web site which seems to have the ideal answer If there is a chance to get all formalities done via email that would be ideal. Do I need to be concerned? What should out be looking out for?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Sefton. Before diving in I want to be sure as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and most are in Sefton - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I purchased a leasehold flat in Sefton, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Sefton with a long lease are worth £185,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 invoiced every year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2085

With just 60 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £20,000 and £23,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.