I am selling my apartment in Longton and the estate agent has just called to advise that the buyers are swapping solicitor. The excuse is that the lender will only work with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a big named lender only deal with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Longton ?

Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms they are content to work with, but in the past few years big names such as HSBC, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for many years.

Lenders point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the reduction – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The buyers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.

Completed the sale of my flat in Longton last April yet the purchaser is telephoning me to say her solicitor is waiting to hear from mylawyer. What should have happened following completion?

After completion of your sale your solicitor should send the transfer deeds and all supplemental paperwork to the buyer’s conveyancer. Depending on the transaction, your solicitor should also confirm that the legal charge in favour of the lender has been paid off to the purchasers solicitors. There are no post completion tasks just for conveyancing in Longton.

I am buying a new build house in Longton with a loan from Accord Mortgages Ltd. The sellers would not move on the amount so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep advised me not reveal to my conveyancer about the extras as it would put at risk my mortgage with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I decided to have a survey done on a house in Longton ahead of instructing lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. My surveyor advised that some lenders will not issue a loan on a flying freehold premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different requirements from Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can check with the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Longton. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Longton to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

Back In 2007, I bought a leasehold house in Longton. Conveyancing and Virgin Money mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing practitioner in Longton who previously acted has now retired. Do I pay?

First contact the Land Registry to make sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to incur the fees of a Longton conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Longton Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

Its a good idea to discover as much as you can about the company managing the block as they will affect your use and enjoyment of the property. Being a leasehold owner you are often at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to day to day matters like the tidiness of the common parts. Don't be afraid to ask other tenants if they are happy with them. On a final note, be sure you know the dates that the maintenance fees are due to the appropriate party and specifically what you get for your money. How is the lease structured? Who are the managing agents?