Just contacted my conveyancing solicitor in Woolton who conducted the legals two years ago and wanted a conveyancing quote based on an identical type of house sale & purchase (a leasehold property and a freehold property) of similar values with a loan from Birmingham Midshires. It looks as though am now being charged twice the amount. Better the devil I know or do I try and find a cheaper internet conveyancer?

The charges appear a tad high. If you shop around you could decrease the fees slightly by say a hundred pounds. That being said, assuming were content with the service the firm provided you couldcome to rue choosing an an untested conveyancer. Remember to enquire that the conveyancer can also act for Birmingham Midshires. You can use our search tool to select a Woolton conveyancing firm on the Birmingham Midshires member panel, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Woolton.

My god-son is purchasing a house that has just been built in Woolton with a mortgage from Bank of Ireland. His conveyancer has said that there is a delay in completing the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. Who needs to receive the form?

The document is intended to provide information to the main parties engaged in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the valuer when requested. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

I used Wolstenholmes a few years ago for my conveyancing in Woolton. Now, I need my files but the law firm has closed. What do I do?

You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Woolton of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

My business partner and I are intending to take over a lease of a shop on a shopping parade. Can you recommend lawyers offering no-sale-no costs for commercial conveyancing in Woolton for less than 1500k?

We are happy to recommend firms who have well rounded knowledge of commercial conveyancing in Woolton, including the disposal and acquisition of businesses as well as simply premises. Whether you are hoping to acquire or lease a shop, pub, restaurant, office, retail premises or a whole business we can find you the right solicitor. Regarding the charges this will depend on the structure and complexity of the proposed transaction. Please provide us with your details or call us so that we can supply you with a fixed commercial conveyancing calculation.

I've recently bought a leasehold property in Woolton. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure 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 am the registered owner of a 2 bed flat in Woolton, conveyancing having been completed February 2000. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent flats in Woolton with over 90 years remaining are worth £260,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2100

With 75 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to be between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.