I am selling my maisonette in Shipley and the EA has just e-mailed to advise that the purchasers are appointing a new solicitor. The reason given is that the mortgage company will only deal with solicitors on their approved list. On what basis would a major lender only engage with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Shipley ?

Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms they are content to work with, but in the last few years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for decades.

Banks point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are not going to have any impact on this.

We previously appointed solicitors locally in Shipley on the Aldermore solicitor panel. They are now charging me a further fee for the legal aspects of the Aldermore mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Aldermore?

Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your lawyer is entitled to charge a fee for this. This fee is not set by Aldermore but by your Shipley property lawyer. Plenty of firms on the Aldermore panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Shipley. I have a mortgage agreed with Bank of Ireland. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Bank of Ireland, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel.

Intending to buy a apartment in Shipley. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Shipley conveyancing practitioner is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I have offered on last month in what should have been a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Shipley is where the house is located. Can you offer any opinion?

Flying freeholds in Shipley are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Shipley you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Shipley 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 property.

I today plan to offer on a house that appears to be perfect, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have just been informed that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns purchasing a leasehold house in Shipley. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be instructed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Shipley are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Shipley in which case you should be shopping around for a Shipley conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the landlord’sconsent to carry out changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the house is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will appraise you on the various issues.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Shipley - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

This question is helpful as a) areas may cause problems for the building as the common areas may begin to deteriorate where maintenance are not paid for b) if the leasehold owners have an issue with the managing agents you will need to have complete disclosure Does the lease contain onerous restrictions? How is the lease structured?

How much experience do your Shipley conveyancing solicitors have with Help To Buy, Shared Equity and similar schemes?

Shipley conveyancing lawyers help thousands of people move home every year and assisted lots of clients through the Help To Buy scheme. The chances are that whatever makes your case unique Shipley conveyancers have worked on recent similar cases.