Me and my fiance are purchasing residence in Sparkhill. My property lawyer is not on the lender approved list. Is it possible for me to appoint my Sparkhill conveyancing solicitor even though they are not on the bank list of approved lawyers?

You have a number of options open to you here

• Complete the purchase with your preferred Sparkhill conveyancing practitioner but your mortgage company will need to use a property lawyer on their approved list. This will result in additional charges together with potential frustration.
• Get a new conveyancer to act in the purchase, obviously checking they are on the lender conveyancing panel.
• Convince your lawyer to pull out all the stops to get accepted on the bank’s conveyancing panel

We are looking to buy a property and need a conveyancing solicitor in Sparkhill who is on the Lloyds approved panel. Can you recommend a local firm?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Lloyds . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Sparkhill.

I purchased a terraced Edwardian property in Sparkhill. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Platform Home Loans Ltd. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the matching address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Sparkhill and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the conveyancing.

Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Sparkhill in advance of instructing solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the property. Our surveyor advised that some banks tend refuse to issue a mortgage on a flying freehold property.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different requirements from Birmingham Midshires. If you e-mail us we can investigate further via the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Sparkhill. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

What are your top tips when it comes to finding a Sparkhill conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Sparkhill conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We suggest that you make enquires with two or three firms including non Sparkhill conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be helpful:

Can they put you in touch with clients in Sparkhill who can give a testimonial? How familiar is the firm with lease extension legislation?

Sparkhill Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing

For many Sparkhill leaseholds the outlay for major works tend not to be included within service charges, albeit that a few managing agents in Sparkhill require leaseholders to pay into a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger works. How many years remain on the lease?