I have just started taking steps with the intention of transferring my current homeowner mortgage to a Buy to Let Skipton Building Society mortgage. The bank has said that I need a conveyancer for this. I got in contact with my previous Ruskington conveyancing practitioner who acted on my behalf when I first acquired the property. The fee calculation sent of £500 has shocked me as its a refinance than a sale or purchase.

The charges are a tad high. If you are prepared to invest time comparing charges you might trim some of the cost by perhaps a hundred pounds. That being said, providing that you were content with the assistance the firm provided you maylive to rue choosing an an untested solicitor. Don't forget to check the solicitor can also act for Skipton Building Society. Do utilise our search tool to locate a Ruskington conveyancing firm on the Skipton Building Society member panel, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Ruskington.

There are plenty of conveyancing solicitors in Ruskington but how do I know who I should use?

Do not opt for the lowest Ruskington conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

I am purchasing a property in Ruskington. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Lloyds have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

As you are obtaining a mortgage with Lloyds your lawyer must comply with the conveyancing instructions outlined in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Lloyds. The CML Handbook sets out minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancing practitioners are required to report to Lloyds where a lease fails to comply with these conditions. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not restricted to Ruskington.

Having read lots of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Ruskington solicitor - who is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

Aldermore will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Aldermore will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your solicitor will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Ruskington postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Aldermore, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Ruskington.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I have offered on last month in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Ruskington is the location of the property. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Ruskington are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Ruskington you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Ruskington may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.

I am a negotiator for a long established estate agent office in Ruskington where we see a few leasehold sales jeopardised due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received conflicting advice from local Ruskington conveyancing firms. Could you shed some light as to whether the seller of a flat can instigate the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

I inherited a basement flat in Ruskington, conveyancing was carried out in 2002. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Ruskington with an extended lease are worth £211,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2093

With only 68 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you 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.

One month into a sale of a flat in Ruskington. Conveyancing solicitors are doing their job but we are being charged an extortionate amount from the managing agents. So far we have paid £295.50 for a leasehold management pack and then a further £134.40 for supplemental questions raised by the buyers lawyer.

You will not have control over the extent of the charges for this information however the average fee for the information for Ruskington leasehold premises is £380. For Ruskington conveyancing sales it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer these questions most will agree to do so - albeit often at high prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no legislation that mandates fixed fees for administrative tasks. There is no prescriptive time limit by which they are required to supply the information.