It is a dozen years since I acquired my house in Stamford. Conveyancing lawyers have now been appointed on the sale but I am unable to locate the title documents. Will this cause complications?

You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be kept by your mortgage company or they may be in the possession of the lawyers who handled your purchase. Secondly in all probability the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Stamford involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.

Does a directory service exist listing Nationwide panel conveyancers in Stamford on the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Website?

No. There is no such tool on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. Very few lenders make their panel listings viewable on the web. Where you are looking for a Stamford conveyancer on the Nationwide please use our tool.

I'm in the throws of looking at apartments in Stamford and I am about to put in an offer. Should I already have a conveyancer appointed at this stage? I am planning to take a mortgage with UBS.

It would be sensible 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 forward their details on to the selling agent. As you are taking out a mortgage with UBS, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the UBS conveyancing panel.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Lloyds. I assume I don't need a Stamford lawyer on the Lloyds panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your Lloyds mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Lloyds mortgage from the register. Lloyds, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Lloyds has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Lloyds has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I have been told that property searches are the main reason for obstruction in Stamford conveyancing transactions. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published determinations of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature within the top 10 causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are unlikely to be the root cause of holding up conveyancing in Stamford.

In surfing the world wide web for the phrase on line conveyancing in Stamford it reveals numerous solicitorslocally. How do I determine which is the right solicitor for purchase transaction?

The best method of seeking a suitable conveyancer is through a trusted testimonial, so ask friends and relatives who have acquired a property in Stamford or the reputable estate agent or mortgage broker. Costs for conveyancing in Stamford vary, so it's sensible to secure at least four costs illustrations from varying types of conveyancers. Be sure to seek confirmation what costs in the quote includes.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Stamford from the perspective of saving time on the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Stamford can be reduced if you get in touch lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and ask them to put together the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ lawyers.
Some Stamford leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors. If you have had any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are settled before the property is put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where there is a current dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over rather than ongoing. If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should ensure that you hold the original share document. Organising a re-issued share certificate is often a time consuming formality and slows down many a Stamford conveyancing transaction. Where a duplicate share is required, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this as soon as possible.

Stamford Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

This question is helpful as a) areas can cause problems for the building as the common areas may begin to deteriorate if maintenance remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the running of the building you will want to have all the details Does the lease contain onerous restrictions? Who is in charge of the block?