AssumingI were to buy a freehold homein Bulkington for cash and dispense with a survey and no local authority searches how much should I expect to to save on my conveyancing in Bulkington?

Any savings you would achieve will be isolated to the costs for searches. A property lawyer still got to do everything else - money laundering, correspond with your vendors conveyancing practitioner, stamp duty submission, register the ownership etc. You might save a bit for them not having to register a charge but it will not be meaningful.

We have a mortgage agreed in principle with Nottingham. Bulkington conveyancing practitioners are instructed. How long does it take for Nottingham to send the offer to the solicitor?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have Nottingham completed the valuation? Have you informed Nottingham as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Nottingham conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Bulkington. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender TSB be concerned?

Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with TSB your lawyer must follow the formal requirements set out in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for TSB. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook includes minimum provisions for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to TSB where a lease fails to comply with these specifications. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not isolated to Bulkington.

We expect to receive a AIP from Santander 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 Santander recommend any Bulkington solicitors on the Santander conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

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

A relative recommended that where I am purchasing in Bulkington I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is usually quoted for as part of the standard Bulkington conveyancing searches. It is a large report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Bulkington around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Bulkington.

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and identified one near me in Bulkington I like with a park and railway links nearby, the downside is that it's only got 49 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Bulkington for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?

If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be an issue. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.

We own a leasehold flat in Bulkington. Conveyancing was finalised in 2009. I have read on a number of consumer forums that I should not let the lease length fall too short. Why is that a problem?

Bulkington domestic long term leases are for a prescribed period - usually just under one hundred years when they started. However a significant appartments in Bulkington were built or converted 25 or more years ago and so these leases now have less than 80 years unexpired. This may seem like a long time but Banks, Building Societies and other mortgage companies generally require leases to have at least 75 years unexpired to be mortgageable. This means that when you come to sell the property you will need a lease extension if you are nearing 75 years. To increase the saleability of your property you should be considering whether or not to extend your lease long before you come to sell it. Please note that there are significant benefits to taking action before the lease hits eighty years as when the lease falls below eighty years the premium to be paid to extend starts to get a lot more expensive.