I plan on acquiring property in Lancaster. My property lawyer is not on the mortgage company solicitor panel. Am I still permitted to appoint my Lancaster conveyancing solicitor even though they are excluded from the bank panel?

You will need to have a solicitor to deal with the formalities if you take out a mortgage to purchase your home. They will conduct all the necessary legal checks on the property, make sure that you’re registered as proprietor and ensure that all the required mortgage paperwork is dealt with. One could appoint a Lancaster solicitor of your choice. However, where the lawyer appointed is not a member of the bank conveyancing panel supplemental fees will arise as separate legal representation will be need by the lender. Conveyancing panel applications can be submitted, so if your solicitor has not historically applied for membership they should take the chance to apply.

What will a local search tell me concerning the house I am buying in Lancaster?

Lancaster conveyancing often starts with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search organisations for instance PSG The local search plays an important part in many a Lancaster conveyancing purchase; that is if you wish to avoid any unpleasant once you have moved into your new home. The search should reveal information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the premises (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 sections.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £305k and found one near me in Lancaster I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 49 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Lancaster in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?

If you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be problematic. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this.

How straightforward is it to use your search app to select a conveyancing practitioner in Lancaster on the approved list for my lender?

1st choose a lender such as Birmingham Midshires, Barnsley Building Society or TSB then specify your location for instance Lancaster. Conveyancing organisations in Lancaster and further afield should be identified.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Lancaster from the perspective of expediting the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Lancaster can be reduced if you instruct lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers’ solicitors.
Some Lancaster leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their lawyers. Many landlords or managing agents in Lancaster charge for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management pack sought on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Lancaster. If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s approval? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Lancaster leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or addition of wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord approving such changes. Should you dont have the paperwork in place you should not contact the landlord without checking with your solicitor in the first instance.

Lancaster Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries before buying

Most Lancaster leasehold properties will incur a service charge for maintenance of the block levied by the landlord. Where you acquire the flat you will have to meet this amount, usually in instalments accross the year. This could be anything from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large common areas. In all likelihood there will be a ground rent for you to pay yearly, ordinarily this is not a large amount, say about £50-£100 but you need to check it because sometimes it can be many hundreds of pounds. On the whole the cost for major works tend not to be included within service charges, albeit that a few managing agents in Lancaster ask leasehold owners to pay into a sinking fund created for the specific intention of building a fund for larger repairs or maintenance. Make sure you discover if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. For example it is reasonably common in Lancaster leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in Lancaster. If you love the apartmentin Lancaster yet your dog can’t live with you then you will be faced hard decision.