I am selling my flat in Cawthorne. Does my conveyancer have to be on the Lloyds conveyancing panel in order to deal with repayment of my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Lloyds conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their specifications fairly frequently in recent years.

I just acquired a house at auction in Cawthorne. Conveyancing is necessary. What are my next steps?

Having exchanged you will need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor quickly as you will have a tight deadline in which to complete the purchase. All auction property should have a corresponding legal set of papers. This will include evidence of title and search results. In the case of leasehold property the conveyancing pack should provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing documentation relating to leasehold premises. You need to pass this on to your appointed conveyancing solicitor at the earliest opportunity. You also need to ensure that you have funds organised to complete the transaction on the set completion date.

I am selling my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in July 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, Skipton are being difficult. The Cawthorne solicitor who is on the Skipton conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Skipton are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Skipton have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Skipton have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Skipton may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

I had an offer accepted on an apartment in Cawthorne on 25/7/2025, valuation was booked five days after, all came back fine. Solicitor retained, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to RBS and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the RBS conveyancing panel. Are RBS entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?

A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for RBS to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the RBS conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I have been told that property searches are the main cause of delay in Cawthorne house deals. Is that correct?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the top 10 causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Local searches are unlikely to be the root cause of slowing down conveyancing in Cawthorne.

I have a semi-detached Georgian house in Cawthorne. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Britannia. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same property. Is it worth asking Britannia to clarify?

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Cawthorne and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also enquire as to the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the work.

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Cawthorne with the aim of expediting the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Cawthorne can be avoided if you get in touch lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ solicitors.
You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to double-check by asking your solicitors. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is less than 75 years. It is therefore important at an early stage that you identify whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale. Many freeholders or Management Companies in Cawthorne charge for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should find out the actual amount of the charges. The management information can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most usual cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Cawthorne. If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should ensure that you have the original share document. Obtaining a re-issued share certificate is often a lengthy formality and slows down many a Cawthorne conveyancing deal. If a reissued share is necessary, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (where relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.

I purchased a garden flat in Cawthorne, conveyancing was carried out in 1997. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Equivalent flats in Cawthorne with an extended lease are worth £221,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2095

With only 70 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.