I am due to exchange buying a house in Pickering but as a consequence of damage from the recent storms I have was able negotiate reparation from the seller of £2k taking the form of a adjustment in the price. I had intended this to be addressed as part of amending the contract however Nottingham will not agree to this. Why were they informed?

Any solicitor that is on the Nottingham approved list is duty bound to inform Nottingham of any amendments to the sale price. If you were to refuse your property lawyer to notify the price change to Nottingham then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Nottingham and you would have to appoint a new conveyancing practitioner for your conveyancing in Pickering.

Should conveyancers request money on account for my conveyancing in Pickering?

Where you are retaining lawyers for conveyancing in Pickering your lawyer will ask you to provide them with funds to cover the search fees. Normally this is needed to cover the fees of the conveyancing searches. When the deposit is as part of the purchase price then this should be required shortly in advance of contracts are exchanged. The closing balance that is needed will be payable a few days ahead of the completion date.

I'm the only beneficiary of my late mum's estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Pickering. The Pickering property was put into my name in November. I now wish to sell up. I do know about the Mortgage Lenders six month 'rule', which means that my proprietorship could be considered the same way as though I had purchased the house in November. Is the property unsalable for six months?

The CML handbook mandates conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you might be impacted by that. How practical a view lenders take of it, depend on the bank as this provision principally exists to capture the purchase and immediately sell or the quick reselling of property.

I can not work out if my bank obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have telephoned my Pickering bank branch on numerous occasions and was told it does not impact the mortgage offer and they would lend. My Pickering conveyancing solicitor - who is on the lender conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they would not lend based on their published requirements. I simply don't know who is right.

As long as the conveyancer is on the lender panel, she or he must comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook requirements for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.

RBS have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a house in Pickering has been agreed to, now what?

Your property agent will want to know who your solicitors are (ensure that the lawyers are on the lender’s approved list). Telephone RBS or the broker and complete any appropriate forms. RBS will sellect a valuer who will get in touch with the selling agent or seller to schedule a time for the valuation to take place. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes about ten days for the mortgage offer to be issued. RBS will send the offer to you and your lawyers. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Pickering.

My wife and I are downsizing from our property in Pickering and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being built land that was not decontaminated. Any local lawyer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers instructed a nationwide conveyancing practice rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Pickering. Having lived in Pickering for 4 years we know that this is a non issue. Do we contact our local Authority to obtain confirmation that there is no issue.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor already. Are they able to advise? You should enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same sickness)

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Pickering from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Pickering can be bypassed where you instruct lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and ask them to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ lawyers.
Some Pickering leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying 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 buyers or their solicitors. If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should ensure that you have the original share certificate. Arranging a new share certificate is often a lengthy process and delays many a Pickering home move. Where a duplicate share is necessary, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (where relevant) for this sooner rather than later. In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Pickering leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such works. Should you fail to have the paperwork in place you should not communicate with the landlord without contacting your solicitor first. If there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where a dispute is unresolved. You will have to accept that you will have to pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to present the dispute as over as opposed to unsettled.

I invested in buying a 2 bed flat in Pickering, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2000. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Comparable properties in Pickering with an extended lease are worth £181,000. The ground rent is £55 charged once a year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2075

You have 51 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £30,400 and £35,200 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.