How do I check that the solicitor carrying out my conveyancing in Derbyshire is on the mortgage lender’sconveyancing panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for Britannia thus spending £175.00 in supplemental legal costs.

Please do take advantage of the search tool on this page. Pick the mortgage company and type ‘Derbyshire’ or your preferred area and you will discover numerous solicitors located in Derbyshire or by proximity to you.

I'm in the process of looking at flats in Derbyshire and I am about to put in an offer. Should I already have a property lawyer in place at this stage? I will be getting a home loan with Yorkshire BS.

You should start requesting conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the EA. Given that you are getting a mortgage with Yorkshire BS, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

I can not work out if my lender requires a lease extension. I have telephoned my Derbyshire bank branch on a couple of occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they will lend. My Derbyshire conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- called to say that they refuse to lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?

As long as the solicitor is on the lender approved list, they must comply with the CML Handbook specifications for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.

Having digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Derbyshire solicitor - who is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

Bank of Ireland will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Bank of Ireland will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your conveyancer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Derbyshire postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Bank of Ireland, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Derbyshire.

We are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our home in Derbyshire and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built land that was not decontaminated. A high street Derbyshire lawyer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the purchasers used an online conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Derbyshire. Having lived in Derbyshire for 5 years we know that this is a non issue. Do we contact our local Authority to get clarification that the buyers are looking for.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer currently acting for you. What do they say? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same ailment)

Just had an offer accepted on a new build flat in Derbyshire. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.

Here is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Derbyshire

Please confirm the Lease plans are architect prepared. The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. Please supply a car parking plan.

I've found a house that seems to be perfect, at a great figure which is making it more attractive. I have since discovered that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues buying a leasehold house in Derbyshire. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be instructed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Derbyshire are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in Derbyshire in which case you should be shopping around for a Derbyshire conveyancing solicitor and check that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the freeholder’spermission to carry out alterations. It may be necessary to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the house is located on an estate. Your conveyancer should report to you on the legal implications.

I inherited a ground floor flat in Derbyshire, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Comparable properties in Derbyshire with an extended lease are worth £201,000. The ground rent is £45 yearly. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2090

With 65 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £13,300 and £15,400 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. 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 placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.