I am buying an apartment in Edgbaston. My Solicitor is not listed on the lender solicitor list. Is it possible for me to appoint my Edgbaston conveyancing solicitor even though they are not on the mortgage company panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?

Your options include

• Carry on with your existing Edgbaston conveyancing practitioner but your lender will need to instruct a property lawyer on their approved list. This will result in additional fees together with probable delay.
• Appoint a fresh solicitor to act in the purchase, making sure they are on the lender conveyancing panel.
• Convince your conveyancer to do everything within their powers to join the lender’s conveyancing panel

I am purchasing a property and the conveyancer has identified Chancel Repair for which the house may be obligated to contribute to because it falls into the area of such a church. She has recommended insurance. Is this strictly appropriate for conveyancing in Edgbaston

Unless a prior purchase of the property took place post 12 October 2013 you may expect solicitors conducting conveyancing in Edgbaston to remain encouraging a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.

How does conveyancing in Edgbaston differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Edgbaston come to us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is completed. This is because house builders in Edgbaston typically buy the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Edgbaston or who has acted in the same development.

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and identified one near me in Edgbaston I like with open areas and transport links nearby, however it only has 51 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Edgbaston suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?

If you require a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you could request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.

A conveyancing firm dealt with my conveyancing in Edgbaston half a dozen years past having archived my title documents but has since been shut down – What steps do I now take to get hold of them?

Title deeds, as such, no longer exist as the majority of homes in Edgbaston are recorded digitally at Land Registry. Where you need to show evidence of proprietorship or are selling or re-mortgaging your conveyancer should obtain up to date copies of the register from the Land Registry in any case.

If you feel there may be other documents or you have any other queries please e-mail your request with details of the transaction and documents you need to filerequest@clc-uk.org. The CLC will let you know what information they have and any additional information they may need before they are in a position to identify and send the documents to you. Following an intervention it may take some time for the CLC to access archived files and documents, but your request will be actioned with reasonable haste.