Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my conveyancer in Trafford Park is not on my lender's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of his conveyancing?

It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of plausible explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Where you are concerned you should simply call the Trafford Park conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.

My wife and I have a semi-detached Edwardian house in Trafford Park. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and TSB. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold with the matching address. Is it worth asking TSB to clarify?

You need to review 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 owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Trafford Park and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing lawyer who carried out the work.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I have offered on a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a simple, no chain conveyancing. Trafford Park is where the house is located. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Trafford Park are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Trafford Park you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Trafford Park 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 residence.

In my capacity as executor for the estate of my aunt I am selling a house in Swansea but reside in Trafford Park. My solicitor (who is 235 kilometers from merequires that I sign a stat dec ahead of completion. Can you recommend a conveyancing practitioner in Trafford Park to attest and place their company stamp on the document?

strictly speaking you should not need to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are Trafford Park based

In relation to leasehold conveyancing in Trafford Park what are the most frequent lease defects?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Trafford Park. All leases are unique and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain provisions are wrong. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

Insurance obligations

You could have difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. National Westminster Bank, The Royal Bank of Scotland, and Aldermore all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the buyer to withdraw.

I own a basement flat in Trafford Park, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Trafford Park with over 90 years remaining are worth £222,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2096

With only 70 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.