It is 10 years ago since I bought my house in Stourbridge. Conveyancing solicitors have now been retained on the sale but I am unable to locate my deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?

Don’t worry too much. Firstly the deeds may be kept by your lender or they could be archived with the solicitor who handled your purchase. Secondly the chances are that the land will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers acquiring current official copies of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Stourbridge relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is unregistered it is more of a problem but is not insurmountable.

Will our lawyer be asking questions regarding flooding during the conveyancing in Stourbridge.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for solicitors conducting conveyancing in Stourbridge. There are those who acquire a house in Stourbridge, fully expectant that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or sell the property. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Solicitors are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, but there are a various checks that can be undertaken by the purchaser or on a buyer’s behalf which should give them a better appreciation of the risks in Stourbridge. The conventional set of property information forms given to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a usual question of the vendor to find out if the premises has ever been flooded. If flooding has previously occurred and is not revealed by the vendor, then a purchaser may bring a claim for damages resulting from an incorrect answer. The purchaser’s lawyers may also conduct an environmental report. This should reveal whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed investigations will need to be made.

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and found one near me in Stourbridge I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it's only got 52 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Stourbridge for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?

If you require a mortgage that many years may be problematic. Reduce the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.

What does commercial conveyancing in Stourbridge cover?

Non domestic conveyancing in Stourbridge covers a wide array of guidance, offered by qualified solicitors, relating to business property. By way of example, this type of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more commonly, the transfer of existing leases or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial loans and the termination of leases.

I have checked your search tool I can't find the lawyer I was hoping to instruct as being on the bank conveyancing panel. My lawyer has said that they are on the lender approved panel. How can I be sure given that they are not listed on your directory?

Not all firms are yet listed on our lender panel search tool which is still relatively new. Law firms are listing on a daily basis and it is probably the case that your lawyer is on the mortgage company conveyancing lawyer and you should probably take them at their word. Please do feel free to suggest that they completing their listing on our site as it would only cost them £1 a month to list themselves as being on the lender solicitor panel.