I am expecting a mortgage offer from Santander. My intention is to enlist the help of a Licensed Conveyancer in Ashton. Does the Santander Solicitor panel exclude Licensed Conveyancers?

The Santander conveyancing panel is, like many other lenders, associated to the Council or Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.

Have just purchased a probate house at auction in Ashton. Conveyancing is required. What happens now?

Now that you are exchanged you must retain a conveyancing solicitor quickly as you are facing a fast approaching a drop dead date to complete the property. Every auction property should have a bespoke auction set of papers. This will likely include evidence of title and search results. Where you are dealing with leasehold property the auction pack should contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing paperwork relating to a leasehold property. You need to hand this to the conveyancer instructed by you at the earliest opportunity. Do make sure that your finances are in place to complete on the on the contractual date .

We expect to receive a DIP from Bank of Ireland this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Bank of Ireland recommend any Ashton solicitors on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

You will need to appoint Ashton solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Bank of Ireland through the process.

After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Ashton. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £200. A couple of days later, the conveyancing practitioner called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Aldermore 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 Aldermore 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.

The deeds to my home can not be found. The lawyers who did the conveyancing in Ashton 5 years ago no longer exist. What are my options?

Nowadays there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your conveyancer should know precisely where to look for all the relevant documentation so you may buy or dispose of your property without any difficulty. If duplicates are not available, your solicitor may be able to arrange cover in the form of insurance or indemnities against future claims on the premises.

We are four weeks into a freehold purchase having been directed to conveyancers by the local agent to perform conveyancing in Ashton. I am not happy. Could you you assist me in finding new conveyancers?

They would have to be very bad in order to consider diss instructing them. Has your mortgage offer been issued? If so you must inform them of the new contact details and ensure the loan are issued to the new lawyers. The solicitor ideally should be on the banks approved list to avoid supplemental expenses and complications. That should be your first question of the new solicitors. The search tool can assist you in finding a lender approved conveyancer for your conveyancing in Ashton

I am attracted to a couple of flats in Ashton both have about 50 years unexpired on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There are no two ways about it. A leasehold apartment in Ashton is a deteriorating asset as a result of the reducing lease term. The nearer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it reduces the marketability of the premises. For most purchasers and banks, leases with less than 75 years become less and less marketable. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a residence with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Ashton conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease. They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

I purchased a ground floor flat in Ashton, conveyancing formalities finalised 6 years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Ashton with an extended lease are worth £206,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2091

With just 66 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £11,400 and £13,200 plus costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.