My fiance and I swapping mortgage lender for our apartment in Southwick with Clydesdale. We have a son approaching twenty who lives with us. Our solicitor has asked us to disclose any adults other than ourselves who lives in the flat. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the property is repossessed. I have a couple of concerns (1) Is this form unique to the Clydesdale conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we purchased 4 years ago (2) In signing this form is our son in any way compromising his right to inherit the property?

On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Clydesdale. This is solely used to protect Clydesdale if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Clydesdale had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Southwick off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Yorkshire BS. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Yorkshire BS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel.

I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in February 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Bank of Ireland are being pedantic. The Southwick solicitor who is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Bank of Ireland are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Bank of Ireland have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Bank of Ireland have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Bank of Ireland may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

Skipton have agreed my mortgage in principle, my bid on a apartment in Southwick has been accepted, what happens next?

The estate agent will wish to be informed of your property lawyer's details (make sure the solicitors are on the bank’s panel). Contact Skipton or the broker and finalise any relevant paperwork. Skipton will sellect a valuer who will get in contact with the selling agent or seller to schedule an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes about a fortnight for the mortgage offer to be issued. Skipton will send the offer to you and your conveyancing practitioners. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Southwick.

I used Stirling Law a few years past for my conveyancing in Southwick. I now require my papers however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Southwick of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I am using a search engine for the words conveyancing in Southwick it reveals numerous property lawyerslocally. With so much choice what is the best way to find the right property lawyer for purchase transaction?

The preferential method of choosing the right conveyancer is via trusted referral, so enquire of friends and family who have bought a property in Southwick or a respected estate agent or mortgage broker. Fees for conveyancing in Southwick vary, so it's advisable to request at least three fee calculations from varying types of solicitors. Be sure to seek confirmation that the costs are assured not to increase.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a two apartments in Southwick both have about forty five years unexpired on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

There are plenty of short leases in Southwick. The lease is a right to use the property for a period of time. As the lease gets shorter the value of the lease decreases and results in it becoming more costly to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is advisable to extend the lease term. Sometimes it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease as mortgage companies less inclined to grant a loan on such properties. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional assistance from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this arena.

I purchased a ground floor flat in Southwick, conveyancing formalities finalised in 1998. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Corresponding flats in Southwick with a long lease are worth £179,000. The ground rent is £65 invoiced every year. The lease expires on 21st October 2081

With 57 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £26,600 and £30,800 plus legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.