I am under pressure from the owner of a property in Perry Barr to sign contracts within four weeks. What can I do to expedite matters?

First, If the seller is applying time constraints to exchange it is highly recommended that your solicitor is familiar with the area as they will make use of local relationships and know-how. It is possible that they would have conducted previoushomes in the same neighbourhood. You would be best advised to use a Perry Barr conveyancing lawyer. In addition, double check that the lawyer is on the on the approved list for your mortgage company. It is claimed that 18% of Perry Barr conveyancing transactions are suspended or derailed after discovering a buyer’s solicitor was not on their banks panel. In many cases this discovery resulted in the conveyancing being frustrated by an average of three weeks. It is understood that this issue affects approximately 100,000 home moves annually. Almost all Perry Barr conveyancing practices can not represent certain mortgage companies so do check at the outset.

At what point does exchange of contracts happen for domestic conveyancing in Perry Barr and do I need to be at the lawyers office?

If you are in close proximity to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Perry Barr you are invited in to sign contracts. However, the law practices we work with supply countrywide coverage for conveyancing and provide as equally diligent and professional a job for you when communicating with you digitally. The signing of the contract is not the critical part. Signing on the dotted line simply enables the conveyancer to officially exchange at the appropriate time, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The procedure is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where an extended "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Perry Barr)to be in the office at the appropriate time.

We previously chose conveyancing lawyers located in Perry Barr on the Skipton solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me a separate charge for the legal aspects of the Skipton mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Skipton?

Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your lawyer is entitled to charge a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Skipton but by your Perry Barr conveyancer. Some firms on the Skipton panel will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee but many practices include it on their overall fee.

Can I be sure that the Perry Barr conveyancing solicitor on the Principality panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Perry Barr obtaining recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always recommend that you speak with the lawyer handling your conveyancing.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Perry Barr. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Leeds Building Society 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 you are obtaining a mortgage with Leeds Building Society your lawyer must check the formal instructions set out in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Leeds Building Society. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook sets out minimum provisions for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Leeds Building Society where a lease fails to meet these provisions. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not restricted to Perry Barr.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my house can not be found. The conveyancers who handled the conveyancing in Perry Barr 10 years ago are no longer around. Will I be able to sell the house?

As long as the title is registered the details of your ownership will be documented by HMLR under a Title Number. It is possible to conduct a search at the Land Registry, find your property and obtain current copies of the property title for a small fee. If the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will also normally retain a file duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be ordered for twenty pounds.

Back In 2004, I bought a leasehold house in Perry Barr. Conveyancing and Aldermore mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing practitioner in Perry Barr who acted for me is not around. What should I do?

The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to instruct a Perry Barr conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. You should note that regardless, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I invested in buying a studio flat in Perry Barr, conveyancing having been completed 7 years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable flats in Perry Barr with an extended lease are worth £211,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2091

With 67 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £10,500 and £12,000 plus costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.