Do I have to visit the offices of the solicitor to sign the legal charge? If so, I will instruct a firm who offer conveyancing in Ackworth so that I can pop in to their offices if required.

Whereas this was necessary 12 years ago, the vast majority lenders no longer oblige their conveyancing panel lawyer to witness the borrowers signature. You will still be obliged to supply ID documents and there are still manifest advantages to using a locally based solicitor, in your situation a conveyancing solicitor in Ackworth.

We previously instructed conveyancers locally in Ackworth on the Skipton solicitor panel. They have just billed me an additional fee for the legal aspects of the Skipton mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Skipton?

Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your lawyer can levy a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Skipton but by your Ackworth solicitor. Some firms on the Skipton panel will quote an ‘acting for lender’ fee but plenty of firms include it on their overall fee.

I am due to exchange contracts on my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in May 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Clydesdale are being problematic. The Ackworth solicitor who is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Clydesdale are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Clydesdale have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Clydesdale have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Clydesdale may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

I was told two weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Clydesdale. Is it usual for Clydesdale to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Ackworth is approved on their conveyancing panel? Clydesdale have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance Schedule.

A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Clydesdale to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

Should my solicitor be asking questions about flooding during the conveyancing in Ackworth.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for conveyancers dealing with homes in Ackworth. Some people will buy a house in Ackworth, completely expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical destruction, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or sell the premises. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the buyer.

Solicitors are not qualified to give advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous checks that may be carried out by the purchaser or by their conveyancers which should figure out the risks in Ackworth. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms given to a buyer’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a usual inquiry of the vendor to find out whether the premises has historically flooded. If flooding has previously occurred and is not revealed by the seller, then a purchaser may bring a claim for damages as a result of such an incorrect reply. The buyer’s lawyers may also order an environmental report. This should higlight whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional inquiries should be made.

I am looking for a flat up to £235,500 and identified one round the corner in Ackworth I like with a park and station in the vicinity, however it's only got 49 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Ackworth suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?

If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be an issue. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you may request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my ground floor flat in Ackworth. Conveyancing has not commenced, however I have recently received a quarterly service charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

It best that you discharge the maintenance contribution as usual given that all rents and maintenance invoices should be apportioned on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until 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.

Ackworth Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries Prior to buying

This information is important as a) areas can result in problems in the block as the common areas may start to deteriorate where maintenance remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the managing agents you will want to have all the details Does the lease have onerous restrictions? Who manages the building?