I was informed recently by my mortgage adviser that my Staffordshire solicitor is not on the mortgage company Conveyancing panel. How can I be sure whether this is correct?

The sensible course of action for you to take is to call your Staffordshire lawyer directly. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to inform you what has happened. If they are not on the panel they may be able to suggest a Staffordshire conveyancing practice that is on the approved list of lawyers for your bank.

Can the conveyancing solicitors Indexed on your site handle auction conveyancing in Staffordshire?

There are a few niche lawyers we can connect you with those specialising in auction conveyancing. Staffordshire is just one of the many areas of where our lawyers have offices.

I used Wolstenholmes a few years past for my conveyancing in Staffordshire. I now require my papers but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Staffordshire of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

How does conveyancing in Staffordshire differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Staffordshire contact us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is completed. This is because new home sellers in Staffordshire tend to buy the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Staffordshire or who has acted in the same development.

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the disposal of our £425,000 maisonette in Staffordshire on Thursday in a week. The management company has quoted £336 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Staffordshire?

Staffordshire conveyancing on leasehold apartments usually requires the purchaser’s conveyancer sending enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to respond to these enquiries most will be willing to assist. They may charge a reasonable charge for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some cases it exceeds £800. The management information fee demanded by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of rights and obligations in respect of administration fees, otherwise the invoice is technically not due. In reality one has little choice but to pay whatever is requested of you should you wish to sell the property.

Staffordshire Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before buying

If a Staffordshire lease has no more than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the salability of the flat. Check with your mortgage company that they are content with remaining years on the lease. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will probably have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of what this would cost. For most Staffordshirelease extensions you will need to own the residence for 24 months in order to be legally able to extend the lease. How much is the ground rent and service charge? Does the lease have onerous restrictions?