My grandfather passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Whaley Bridge. The house had a small mortgage left on it of around £4500. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Nottingham, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?

If you intend to re-mortgage then Nottingham will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Nottingham conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Nottingham mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unseasoned as FTB of a garden flat in Whaley Bridge. Do I collect the keys to the property on the completion date from my conveyancer? If so, I will use a local conveyancing solicitor in Whaley Bridge?

On the day of completion you will not be required to attend the conveyancers office in Whaley Bridge. Conveyancing lawyers for you will transfer the completion advance to the vendor’s solicitors, and once they have received this, you will be able to collect the keys from the property Agents and move into your new home. Usually this occurs between 1 and 3pm.

I have been advised by my conveyancer that restrictive coveneant insurance is necessary on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Whaley Bridge conveyancing?

The appropriate level of restrictive coveneant indemnity insurance depends on your lender. It would differ for example between Barclays and Barnsley Building Society. Conveyancing solicitors as opposed to members of the public take out such policies.

My sealed bid on a semi in Whaley Bridge has been accepted, but there is a chain. The sellers have placed an offer on a flat, but it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other flats in the pipeline. I have selected a high street conveyancing solicitor in Whaley Bridge. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with Kent Reliance going?

It is usual to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (home loan application is approx £1k, then valuation, Whaley Bridge conveyancing search costs, etc). The first course of action is to ensure that your solicitor is on the Kent Reliance approved list. As to the subsequent phase this very much dictated by the specifics of your transaction, desire for the property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market some home buyers will apply for the mortgage with Kent Reliance and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their conveyancer to proceed with searches.

What can a local search tell me concerning the house we're buying in Whaley Bridge?

Whaley Bridge conveyancing often commences with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search organisations such as PSG The local search plays an important role in most Whaley Bridge conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any nasty once you have moved into your property. The search will reveal data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 topic sections.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I have offered on last month in what should have been a simple, chain free conveyancing. Whaley Bridge is the location of the property. Is there any guidance you can give?

Flying freeholds in Whaley Bridge are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Whaley Bridge you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Whaley Bridge may determine 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.

I only have 72 years left on my lease in Whaley Bridge. I now wish to extend my lease but my freeholder is can not be found. What are my options?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be lengthened by the Court. However, you will be required to prove that you have done all that could be expected to locate the lessor. In some cases a specialist should be helpful to conduct investigations and to produce an expert document which can be used as proof that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court overseeing Whaley Bridge.

I inherited a 1st floor flat in Whaley Bridge, conveyancing having been completed 6 years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable flats in Whaley Bridge with over 90 years remaining are worth £186,000. The ground rent is £55 per annum. The lease ceases on 21st October 2077

With just 52 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £29,500 and £34,000 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.