I am selling my house in Cheetham. Will the conveyancer need to be required to be on the Lloyds conveyancing panel in order to deal with repayment of my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Lloyds conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their panel criteria fairly frequently at the moment.

I am helping my mother sell her property in Cheetham. Does the conveyancing solicitor arrange an energy assessment or do I organise this?

Following the abolition of HIPs, EPC’s was kept a mandatory component of moving house. An EPC needs to be to hand before the property is put on the market. This is not a task that conveyancers ordinarily organise. Where you are using a Cheetham conveyancing practitioner they may be willing to arrange energy performance certificates due to their relationships with long established Cheetham providers

My wife and I purchasing a detached bungalow in Cheetham. We would like to an extension at the rear at the property.Will legal due diligence on the property include checks to determine if these works are permitted?

Your property lawyer should review the registered title as conveyancing in Cheetham can occasionally reveal restrictions in the title deeds which restrict certain alterations or need the permission of a 3rd party. Some works need local authority planning permissions and approval in accordance building regulations. Many areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. It would be prudent to check these things with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

We previously appointed conveyancing lawyers locally in Cheetham on the Bank of Ireland solicitor approved list. They are now charging me an additional fee for the legal aspects of the Bank of Ireland mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Bank of Ireland?

As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your solicitor is entitled to charge a fee for this. The charge is not set by Bank of Ireland but by your Cheetham lawyer. Plenty of firms on the Bank of Ireland panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

I used Wolstenholmes a few years ago for my conveyancing in Cheetham. Now, I need my documents however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Cheetham of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I have offered on last month in what should have been a simple, no chain conveyancing. Cheetham is the location of the property. Is there any advice you can impart?

Flying freeholds in Cheetham are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Cheetham you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Cheetham may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

I've recently bought a leasehold flat in Cheetham. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Cheetham Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing

What is the annual maintenance fee and ground rent? This question is useful as a) areas could cause problems in the block as the communal areas may start to deteriorate where repairs remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the managing agents you will need to know about it It is important to be aware if changing the roof or some other significant cost is anticipated that will be shared between the leaseholders and will dramatically increase the the service fees or result in a one off payment.