My uncle passed away 10 months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Northwich. The house had a small mortgage left on it of around £4500. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Barclays, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?

Where you intend to re-mortgage then Barclays will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Barclays 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 Barclays 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 Barclays mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

I happen to be the only beneficiary of my late mum's will and I have everything in my name now, including the my former home in Northwich. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in June. I now wish to sell up. I do know about the CML six month 'rule', which means that my proprietorship may be regarded the same way as if I'd bought the house in June. Do I have to wait 6 months to sell?

The CML handbook instructs solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you could be impacted by that. How practical a view lenders take of it, depend on the bank as this clause is chiefly there to pick up on the purchase and immediately sell or the quick reselling of property.

Can you point me to a directory of Kent Reliance panel conveyancers in Northwich on the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such directory service on the CML or Building Society Association sites. A small selection of banks make their panel listings open the public over the internet. If you are in need of a Northwich property lawyer on the Kent Reliance please use our tool.

We had selected conveyancers locally in Northwich on the Skipton solicitor approved list. They have just billed me a supplemental sum for dealing with the Skipton mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Skipton?

Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your conveyancer is entitled to levy a fee for this. The fee is not set by Skipton but by your Northwich conveyancing practitioner. Some firms on the Skipton panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Northwich?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Northwich. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

How does conveyancing in Northwich differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Northwich approach us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is finished. This is because developers in Northwich tend to purchase the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Northwich or who has acted in the same development.

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Northwich. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

If the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in Northwich - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Northwich - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing

How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their maintenance charge payments? Who manages the block?