I have given 2 months notice to my current landlord and must vacate my rented flat in Stafford by the end of next month. Conveyancing on my purchase is progressing. How realistic is it to complete in six weeks as I wish to avoid having to find short term accommodation?

The normal practice is not to give notice for your lease until your lawyer suggests that you should. If you have not previously done so, notify to your lawyer and request that they seek the assistance the other lawyers, try to get a realistic time scale from them that everyone will aim towards

What is the first thing I need to know about purchase conveyancing in Stafford?

Not many law firms or advisers will tell you this but conveyancing in Stafford and elsewhere in England and Wales is an adversarial experience. In other words, when it comes to conveyancing there is plenty of room for friction between you and others involved in the home moving process. E.g., the vendor, selling agent and sometimes the bank. Appointing a solicitor for your conveyancing in Stafford should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONLY party in the legal process whose responsibility is to look after your best interests and to protect you.

We are witnessing a distinct ongoing adversarial element to conveyancing- someone has to be at fault for the process being so protracted. You should always trust your solicitor above the other parties when it comes to the legal transfer of property.

This question may be naive but I am wet behind the ears as a first time purchaser of a two bedroom flat in Stafford. Do I collect the keys to the property on completion from my lawyer? If this is the case, I will instruct a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Stafford?

On the day of completion you do not need to go to the conveyancers office in Stafford. Conveyancing lawyers for you will transfer the completion advance to the seller's conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be able to pick up the keys from the Estate Agents and start moving into the property. Usually this occurs between 1 and 3pm.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Stafford. I have a mortgage agreed with Leeds Building Society. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use 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 Leeds Building Society, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel.

After much negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Stafford. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £200. Shortly after, the conveyancing practitioner contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Virgin Money panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

We are buying a house and the conveyancer has referenced Chancel Repair to which the house may be liable because it falls into the area of such a church. She has mentioned insurance. Is this really required for conveyancing in Stafford

Unless a previous acquisition of the property took place post 12 October 2013 you may take it that lawyers handling conveyancing in Stafford to continue to advocate a chancel search and or chancel repair liability insurance.

I have todaydiscovered that Action Conveyancing have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Stafford for a purchase of a leasehold flat 9 months ago. How can I check that the property is registered correctly in the name of the former proprietor?

The quickest way to check if the premises is in your name, 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 Stafford conveyancing specialists.