My fiance and I are looking to acquire a property in Crewe and are in fact using a Crewe conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Godiva Mortgages Ltd have this morning contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Crewe lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. Is this a problem?

When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Crewe lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.

Have completed on a a detached house in Crewe , What is the estimated time for the Land Registry to register my proprietorship? My Crewe conveyancing solicitor works at snail pace, so I want to check the land registry aspects are addressed.

As far as conveyancing in Crewe is concerned, registration is no faster or slower than the rest of England and Wales. Rather than based on location, timeframes can differ according to the party submitting the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry communicate with any 3rd persons or bodies. Currently in the region of three quarters of submission are completed in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be longer delays. Registration takes place once the purchaser has moved in to the property thus 'speed' is not always top priority but if it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your solicitor could communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what should have been a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Crewe is the location of the property. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Crewe are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Crewe you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Crewe may ascertain 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 property.

What makes your site different to other online quote calculators when it comes to conveyancing in Crewe?

At this site receive a conveyancing quote from a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer that understands the nuances for your conveyancing in Crewe. Unlike many estate agents and many comparison sites we do not operate kick-back arrangements with solicitors. Many agents and online brokers 'recommend' solicitors paying the most commission, rather than the best value conveyancing in Crewe

I am employed by a busy estate agency in Crewe where we have witnessed a few leasehold sales jeopardised due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Crewe conveyancing firms. Can you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can initiate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

As long as the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer can avoid having to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

I purchased a ground floor flat in Crewe, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2010. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Similar properties in Crewe with a long lease are worth £190,000. The ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2087

With just 62 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £17,100 and £19,800 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.