Me and my partner are buying a 2 bedroom flat in Grenoside with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Grenoside solicitor, but the mortgage company says he's not on their "panel". It appears that we have no option but to instruct one of the lender panel conveyancing practices or retain our Grenoside conveyancing practitioner as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to represent them. We feel that this is unjust; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Grenoside conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

I am selling our house in Grenoside and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was constructed on contaminated land. A high street Grenoside lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers are using a factory type conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Grenoside. We have lived in Grenoside for 4 years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to seek clarification that there is no issue.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer already. Are they able to advise? You must 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 sickness)

Me and my brother purchased a semi-detached Edwardian property in Grenoside. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and National Westminster Bank. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same address. Is it worth asking National Westminster Bank 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 Grenoside and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also check the position with the conveyancing lawyer who completed the work.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Grenoside I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it's only got 61 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Grenoside for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?

If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term may be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.

I have just appointed agents to market my garden flat in Grenoside. Conveyancing has not commenced, however I have just had a half-yearly maintenance charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

The sensible thing to do is clear the invoice as usual as all ground rent and maintenance charges will be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

Grenoside Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries Prior to buying

Does this lease have more than 80 years left? How is the lease structured? Please note that where the lease has fewer than 80 years it will affect the salability of the flat. It is worth checking with your bank that they are happy with residual term of the lease. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and it is worth discovering what this will be. Remember, in most cases you will be required to have owned the premises for a couple of years in order to be legally able to extend the lease.