What is the first thing I need to know concerning purchase conveyancing in East Yorkshire?

Not many law firms or advisers will tell you this but conveyancing in East Yorkshire or throughout England and Wales is often a confrontational process. In other words, when it comes to conveyancing there exists lots of room for conflict between you and others involved in the home moving process. For example, the seller, property agent and on occasion the lender. Selecting a lawyer for your conveyancing in East Yorkshire an important selection as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE person in the legal process whose responsibility is to look after your legal interests and to keep you safe.

Every so often a potential adversary may attempt to convince you that you should follow their advice. As an example, the property agent may claim to be assisting by claiming that your conveyancer is dragging his heels. Or your financial adviser may try to convince you to do take action that is contrary to your conveyancers recommendation. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties in the home moving process.

I am considering applying for a Nottingham mortgage for purchase of a new build (under development) in East Yorkshire with 65 per cent LTV. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Nottingham ?

In theory, you could use a solicitor that is not on the Nottingham conveyancing panel, but Nottingham would require one of their panel solicitors to be instructed to act in their interests, and you'd have to pay for this - so most people instruct a panel solicitor. It's also easier, as otherwise you'd have to deal with two solicitors for the same conveyancing matter.

If you had a top tip for selecting a conveyancing solicitor in East Yorkshire what would it be?

Do not opt for the lowest East Yorkshire conveyancing fees. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in advance.

I am buying a property in East Yorkshire. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender TSB be concerned?

As your lender is TSB your lawyer must follow the conveyancing requirements outlined in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for TSB. The CML Handbook sets out minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancing practitioners are required to report to TSB where a lease fails to satisfy these requirements. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not limited to East Yorkshire.

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

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

Given that I am about to part with 450k on a garden flat in East Yorkshire I would like to have a conversation with the solicitor regarding thetransaction prior to giving the go ahead to the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

We could not agree more - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you speaking to the conveyancer who will be doing your property ownership legalities in East Yorkshire.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is an important person, not a file number. The practices that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are calculated and presented to you for your conveyancing in East Yorkshire should be the amount on the final invoice that you end up paying.

I am employed by a long established estate agency in East Yorkshire where we have witnessed a few leasehold sales put at risk as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local East Yorkshire conveyancing solicitors. Can you clarify whether the seller of a flat can start the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

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. This means that the proposed purchaser need not have to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

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 purchaser.

I acquired a studio flat in East Yorkshire, conveyancing formalities finalised 9 years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar properties in East Yorkshire with over 90 years remaining are worth £195,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 2088

With just 64 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £14,300 and £16,400 plus legals.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.