I require conveyancing for a flat in a fairly new development (five years built) in Forest of Dean. Almost all the properties have already been disposed of. Is it strictly necessary to order local searches as part of conveyancing in Forest of Dean?

You would be taking a significant risk in failing carrying out Forest of Dean conveyancing searches. Without searches you have no clarity over flooding, environmental etc which may mean you walk away due to potential problems down the line. If you are buying mortgage free there is no legal requirement to have them, but we would seriously advise in the strongest possible terms that you have them. Where timings and driving down costs are top of your concerns you should consider with your conveyancer about the viability of search insurance

The Forest of Dean conveyancing lawyers that just started acting on my purchase in Forest of Dean have without warning closed. I chose them because I had to have a firm on the HSBC conveyancing panel and my previous Forest of Dean lawyer was not. I cut them a cheque for two hundred pounds in advance. What should be my next steps?

If you have an estate agent involved then let them know immediately so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the HSBC conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers should be in a position to help.

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Virgin Money, do Forest of Dean lawyers face a yearly amount to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are not aware of any lender fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do levy an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

Is there a list of Yorkshire BS panel conveyancers in Forest of Dean on the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such tool on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. Very few mortgage companies make their panel listings visible on the web. If you are looking for a Forest of Dean conveyancer on the Yorkshire BS please make the most of our tool.

I am purchasing a property in Forest of Dean. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. UBS have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

Given that your lender is UBS your lawyer must check the formal instructions contained in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for UBS. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook stipulates minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to UBS where a lease fails to comply with these specifications. The specifications relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not restricted to Forest of Dean.

What will a local search tell me regarding the house I am purchasing in Forest of Dean?

Forest of Dean conveyancing often starts with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company such as Onsearch The local search is essential in every Forest of Dean conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any nasty once you have moved into your new home. The search should reveal information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 topic headings.

I work for a long established estate agent office in Forest of Dean where we see a few flat sales jeopardised as a result of short leases. I have been given conflicting advice from local Forest of Dean conveyancing solicitors. Can you shed some light as to whether the owner of a flat can commence the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

As long as the seller has been the owner 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 proposed purchaser can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder 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 own a basement flat in Forest of Dean, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Comparable flats in Forest of Dean with an extended lease are worth £216,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 per annum. The lease ends on 21st October 2093

With 69 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £9,500 and £11,000 plus costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.