I have been recommended a conveyancing solicitor in Chilwell. I I would like to check if they are on the Skipton Building Society approved list of lawyers. Can you or the lender confirm if they are on the panel?

The first thing you should do is e-mail the conveyancer and ask them whether they can act for the lender. Alternatively you should call Skipton Building Society who may be able to confirm.

My colleague advised me that where I am purchasing in Chilwell I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is occasionally included in the estimate for your Chilwell conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about Chilwell 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 type 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 about Chilwell.

Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Chilwell prior to instructing conveyancers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the house. My surveyor has said that some mortgage companies will refuse to grant a loan on this type of home.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions from Halifax. If you call us we can investigate further with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Chilwell. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Chilwell especially if they are familiar with such properties in Chilwell.

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to meet my requirements, at a great price which is making it more attractive. I have just been informed that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Chilwell. Conveyancing solicitors have are about to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Chilwell are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area who can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Chilwell so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Chilwell conveyancing solicitor and check that they are used to transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the freeholder’sconsent to carry out changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your lawyer will report to you on the legal implications.

I own a 1 bedroom flat in Chilwell, conveyancing having been completed 9 years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Chilwell with over 90 years remaining are worth £181,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease terminates on 21st October 2076

With 51 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £30,400 and £35,200 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is 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. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

My nephew is embarking on her first house purchase, the home loan was agreed last week in principle. One the seller agreed the offer on the apartment we telephoned the building society to progress the mortgage application. We were disappointed to learn that banks do not accept all property lawyer, they must be on their panel, is this right?

Mortgage Companies tend to restrict either the type or the number of conveyancing solicitors on their panel. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that lenders have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any Chilwell conveyancer on their panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, conveyancing is not their speciality. To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime? Probably not.