I had intended to instruct a property lawyer in Marston Moretaine for our house move. Our broker has since advised us that our mortgage lenders Barnsley Building Society won't deal with them. Surely this is unduly restrictive?

Lenders in the main imposes restrictions either the type or the amount of conveyancing solicitors on their member panel. A common example of such restriction(s) being that a law practice must have two or more partners. As well as restricting the type of firm, some have limited the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that Barnsley Building Society have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Barnsley Building Society Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the reduction of solicitor panels since 2008 even though there are differing opinions about the level of solicitor engagement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that hundreds of law firms, including some in or near Marston Moretaine only conduct very few conveyances per annum.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our home can not be found. The lawyers who conducted the conveyancing in Marston Moretaine 4 years ago are no longer around. Will I be able to sell the house?

Gone are the days when you need to have the physical original deeds to evidence that you own the land or premises, as the Land Registry hold details of all registered land or property electronically.

How does conveyancing in Marston Moretaine differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build property in Marston Moretaine approach us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is completed. This is because house builders in Marston Moretaine tend to acquire the site, 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 property lawyers 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 Marston Moretaine or who has acted in the same development.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £305k and identified one close by in Marston Moretaine I like with open areas and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 51 years on the lease. There is not much else in Marston Moretaine in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?

If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease may be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to finding a Marston Moretaine conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Marston Moretaine conveyancing firm) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you talk with two or three firms including non Marston Moretaine conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions could be of use:

If they are not ALEP accredited then why not? What are the costs for lease extension conveyancing?

I own a basement flat in Marston Moretaine, conveyancing was carried out July 2004. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Equivalent flats in Marston Moretaine with over 90 years remaining are worth £202,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £60 yearly. The lease terminates on 21st October 2082

With 57 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £28,500 and £33,000 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.