I have just been advised by my mortgage adviser that my Worcestershire lawyer is not on the lender Conveyancing panel. How can I be sure whether this is correct?

You need to call your Worcestershire conveyancer. You lawyer should notify you what has happened. Where they are not on the panel they may recommend you to a Worcestershire conveyancing practice that is on the approved list of lawyers for your mortgage company.

I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Worcestershire. My lender is Platform

Platform have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 19/1/2021, the requirements read as follows :

Do I need to be wary that estate agents that I am dealing with are suggesting a national conveyancing firm as opposed to a High Street Worcestershire conveyancing firm?

As with lots of professional services, often referrals from relatives can be worth their weight in gold. Yet there are many people with a vested interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, mortgage brokers and banks might all recommend solicitors to retain. Sometimes the conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but sometimes there is an underlying financial incentive behind the recommendation. You have the right to choose your own lawyer. However, bear in mind that the majority of lenders specify a panel list of lawyers you must use for the mortgage aspect of your conveyancing.

I have just started marketing my 2 bed flat in Worcestershire. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, however I have recently received a yearly maintenance charge demand – Do I pay up?

The sensible thing to do is discharge the service charge as you normally would as all rents and maintenance invoices should be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I bought a garden flat in Worcestershire, conveyancing was carried out April 1996. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Worcestershire with an extended lease are worth £185,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 yearly. The lease runs out on 21st October 2081

With only 60 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to be between £20,000 and £23,000 as well as professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.

I bought a flat in Worcestershire last 23/12/2019 and to date it is still not recorded with HM Land Registry. It was part of a development site and my lawyer told me that it may take 12 months to register. I have called HMLR directly and they say that the original application was cancelled due to questions not being addressed in time. Do I need to be concerned?

Call your conveyancing practitioner - if you are not getting sensible responses, look up their firm’s complaints procedure and amplify your problem to a Complaints Manager. Registrations for Worcestershire conveyancing are not known to be especially complex.