My grandmother passed away 10 months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Haydock. The house had a small mortgage remaining of approximately £4500. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Kent Reliance, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?

If you intend to re-mortgage then Kent Reliance will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Kent Reliance conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Kent Reliance mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Haydock. I have a mortgage agreed with Lloyds. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Lloyds, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Lloyds conveyancing panel.

The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Haydock. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

All lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.

I can not fathom if my bank obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called into my local Haydock bank branch on numerous occasions and was told it does not affect the mortgage offer and they will lend. My Haydock conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- called to say that they refuse to lend based on their published requirements. Who do I believe?

Provided that the lawyer is on the lender approved list, they must adhere to the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook conditions for the lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the lender 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 remaining.

The deeds to our property are lost. The conveyancers who did the conveyancing in Haydock 10 years ago are no longer around. What are my options?

You no longer need to hold title official documentation to evidence that you are the registered proprietor of land or property, given that the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in Haydock I like with open areas and railway links nearby, the downside is that it's only got 49 years on the lease. There is not much else in Haydock suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term may be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.

I’m about to sell my garden apartment in Haydock. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, however I have just received a quarterly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge the maintenance contribution as normal because all rents and maintenance payments should be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies 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.

I invested in buying a basement flat in Haydock, conveyancing having been completed February 2000. How much will my lease extension cost? Corresponding flats in Haydock with an extended lease are worth £227,000. The ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease finishes on 21st October 2097

With only 72 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to span between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as professional fees.

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 in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.