We had chosen conveyancing lawyers located in Shenstone on the HSBC solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me a supplemental fee for dealing with the HSBC mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by HSBC?

Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your property lawyer may charge a fee for this. This fee is not set by HSBC but by your Shenstone lawyer. Plenty of firms on the HSBC panel will quote an ‘acting for lender’ fee but many practices include it on their overall fee.

My husband and I are in the throws of looking at flats in Shenstone and I am about to put in an offer. Is it premature to have a solicitor in place? I will be getting a mortgage with TSB.

It would be prudent to commence your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the selling agent. As you are seeking a mortgage with TSB, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the TSB conveyancing panel.

My offer was accepted on an apartment in Shenstone on 31/12/2025, valuation was booked five days after, received a clean bill of health. Property lawyer instructed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Virgin Money and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. Are Virgin Money entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?

Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Virgin Money to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I am buying a new build flat in Shenstone. 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.

Set out below is a sample of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Shenstone

Please supply a car parking plan. Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. Please confirm the Lease plans are architect prepared. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a simple, no chain conveyancing. Shenstone is the location of the property. Is there any advice you can impart?

Flying freeholds in Shenstone are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Shenstone you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Shenstone may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

I need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner in Shenstone for my house move. Is there any facility to check a solicitor's record with the legal regulator?

Members of the public can find presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations resulting from investigations from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find records Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors history, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. International callers, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA may recorded call for training purposes.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a two flats in Shenstone which have about forty five years unexpired on the leases. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

There are plenty of short leases in Shenstone. The lease is a right to use the property for a prescribed time frame. As a lease gets shorter the marketability of the lease decreases and it becomes more expensive to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is often a good idea to extend the lease term. Sometimes it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage lenders may be unwilling to lend money on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a protracted process. We advise that you seek professional assistance from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this arena.

I inherited a garden flat in Shenstone, conveyancing was carried out June 2010. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Shenstone with over 90 years remaining are worth £260,000. The ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2100

With 74 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.