My husband and I are intending to buy a 2 bedroom apartment in Wolverhampton with a mortgage. We like our Wolverhampton solicitor, however the mortgage company says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel conveyancing practices or continue with our Wolverhampton solicitor and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. This feels very unfair; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Wolverhampton conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

I have been told that property searches are the main reason for obstruction in Wolverhampton house deals. Is that correct?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the top 10 causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Searches are not likely to feature in any slowing down conveyancing in Wolverhampton.

How can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 affect my commercial premises in Wolverhampton and how can you help?

The 1954 Act gives security of tenure to commercial tenants, granting the a statutory right to make a request to court for a new lease and continue in occupation when the lease reaches an end. There are limited grounds where a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are involved. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. Wolverhampton is one of the hundreds of locations in which our lawyers have offices

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Wolverhampton with the intention of saving time on the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Wolverhampton can be avoided if you get in touch lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ solicitors.
The majority of landlords or Management Companies in Wolverhampton charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the actual amount of the charges. The management information can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Wolverhampton. You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but you should verify this via your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to where the remaining number of years is below 75 years. It is therefore important at an early stage that you identify whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale. If there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where a dispute is unresolved. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic as opposed to ongoing.

Wolverhampton Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

What is the the remaining lease term? What is the maintenance charge and ground rent on the property? The prefered form of lease arrangement is where the freehold title is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this scenario the tenants benefit from being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is usually retained if it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants.

Is it the case that all Wolverhampton legal practices on every lender conveyancing panel?

The Lexsure search tool on this page may be of use or you can drop into your local bank branch in Wolverhampton. the probability is that they will be in a position to suggest some approved conveyancing solicitors in Wolverhampton