I am assisting my aunt sell her property in Skipton. Does the conveyancing solicitor arrange the energy performance certificate or it is for the owner to see to?

After the abolition of HIPs, energy assessments was left as a mandatory element of selling a house. An EPC must be to hand prior to the property being put on the market. This is not as aspect of the sale process that law firms normally arrange. If you are instructing a Skipton conveyancing solicitor they might help arrange EPC’s given their contacts with reputable local energy assessors

Are all Skipton Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the TSB conveyancing list of approved practices?

Some major banks and building societies now use CQS as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to join their approved list of firms.

We previously selected solicitors located in Skipton on the TSB solicitor panel. They are now charging me a supplemental sum for the legal aspects of the TSB mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by TSB?

Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your lawyer is entitled to charge a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by TSB but by your Skipton conveyancing practitioner. Some firms on the TSB panel will quote an ‘acting for lender’ fee but many firms include it on their overall fee.

My partner and I are selling our property in Skipton and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was constructed on contaminated land. Any high street Skipton conveyancer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers used an online conveyancing practice rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Skipton. We have lived in Skipton for 4 years we know of no issue. Should we get in touch with our local Authority to seek confirmation that the buyers are looking for.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm already. Are they able to advise? You must 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 life insurance to cover that same illness)

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my house can not be found. The conveyancers who dealt with the conveyancing in Skipton 5 years ago are no longer around. What are my next steps?

As long as you have a registered title the details of your proprietorship will be evidenced by the Land Registry with a Title Number. It is easy to perform a search at the Land Registry, find your property and secure up to date copies of the property title for a small fee. If the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will usually retain a certified copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be obtained for twenty pounds.

I'm buying my first flat in Skipton with a loan from Leeds Building Society. The builders would not move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not inform my solicitor about this deal as it would adversely affect 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.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Skipton from the point of view of expediting the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Skipton can be avoided where you appoint lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ lawyers.
If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should ensure that you have the original share document. Obtaining a replacement share certificate can be a time consuming process and frustrates many a Skipton home move. Where a duplicate share is required, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where relevant) for this as soon as possible. You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable double-check via your conveyancers. A buyer’s conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is under 80 years. In the circumstances it is important at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale. If there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved prior to the flat being put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat 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 are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as over rather than unsettled.

I own a 1st floor flat in Skipton, conveyancing was carried out March 2008. How much will my lease extension cost? Similar properties in Skipton with an extended lease are worth £260,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 2098

With just 74 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.