I have given 8 weeks notice to my existing landlord and have to be out of my rented flat in West Cross by 5/6/2024. Conveyancing for my house purchase is progressing. Can I complete in three weeks as I wish to avoid having to move into temporary accommodation?

It is unwise to serve notice for your letting unless you have exchanged. If you have not already done so, speak to your lawyer and ask them to they seek the assistance the sellers side, try to an acceptable time-line that all parties will work to achieve

We previously selected conveyancers with offices in West Cross on the Coventry BS solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a supplemental fee for handling the Coventry BS mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Coventry BS?

Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your solicitor is entitled to levy a fee for this. This fee is not set by Coventry BS but by your West Cross conveyancing practitioner. Some firms on the Coventry BS panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

We have agreed to purchase a house in West Cross. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. RBS have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

As you are obtaining a mortgage with RBS your lawyer must comply with the formal instructions outlined in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for RBS. The CML Handbook includes minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancing practitioners are required to report to RBS where a lease fails to satisfy these provisions. The specifications relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not limited to West Cross.

After much negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in West Cross. My mortgage broker suggested a solicitor. I paid an on account payment of £150. Not long after, the lawyer called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Santander conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Santander panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

We are selling our property in West Cross and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was constructed on contaminated land. Any high street West Cross lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers are using an online conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in West Cross. Having lived in West Cross for 5 years we know of no issue. Should we contact our local Authority to get clarification need.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer already. Are they able to advise? You must check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)

Is it possible to swap solicitor as I have to find one who is on the Bank of Scotland conveyancing list. I instructed a high street conveyancing solicitor in West Cross round the corner but she is not approved by Bank of Scotland

It would be our pleasure to assist you find a conveyancing solicitor in West Cross on the Bank of Scotland panel. Please note that the property lawyers that we work with do not pay us commission if you instruct them and are registered with the SRA who oversee all conveyancing solicitors in West Cross. In utilising search facility on this site, you can compare and instruct different solicitors and conveyancers both nationally and in West Cross.

I've recently bought a leasehold house in West Cross. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I purchased a 1st floor flat in West Cross, conveyancing having been completed 5 years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Similar properties in West Cross with an extended lease are worth £206,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2090

With 66 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £11,400 and £13,200 plus costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.