I plan on buying residence in Eccleston. My Solicitor has never been on on the mortgage company approved list. Am I still permitted to appoint my Eccleston conveyancing solicitor even though they are excluded from the lender approved list?

You have a number of alternatives available to you here

• Complete the purchase with your existing Eccleston conveyancer but your mortgage company will undoubtedly use a conveyancing practitioner on their approved list. The net result is additional cost together with likely frustration.
• Choose a fresh property lawyer to act in the purchase, ensuring that they are on the lender conveyancing panel.
• Appeal to your lawyer to apply to join the lender panel

We are expecting a mortgage offer soon. The bank mentioned the home loan came with free conveyancing. Does this mean I have to appoint their panel conveyancer as I would much rather instruct a high street conveyancing solicitor in Eccleston?

You should check but the chances are that allocate you one of their panel solicitors should you accept the "fee-free" deal. Speak to the bank to determine if they offer you a cash alternative. In the past a few lenders offered a £250 cashback as an alternative in which case you could put that amount towards your preferred conveyancing solicitor in Eccleston.

I have been told that property searches are a common reason for hinderance in Eccleston conveyancing transactions. Is that correct?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published determinations of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the common causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in Eccleston.

I have justbeen informed that Arc property Solicitors have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Eccleston for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 18 months ago. How can I establish that my home is in my name in the name of the former proprietor?

The easiest way to see if the property is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Eccleston conveyancing specialists.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Eccleston. Conveyancing and Alliance & Leicester mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1993. The conveyancing practitioner in Eccleston who acted for me is not around. Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to be sure that this person is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to instruct a Eccleston conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Eccleston - Examples of Queries Prior to buying

For most Eccleston leaseholds the cost for major works tend not to be wrapped into the maintenance charges, although a few managing agents in Eccleston require tenants to pay into a sinking fund and this is used to offset against larger works. How is the lease structured? It would be wise to find out as much as you can concerning the managing agents as they will either make living at the property much simpler or uncomfortable. As the proprietor of a leasehold property you are often in the clutches of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to every day matters like the upkeep of the common parts. Enquire of other tenants what they think of them. In conclusion, be sure you discover the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the managing agents and precisely what it includes.