I am assisting my niece sell her house in Sparkhill. Does the conveyancer arrange an energy assessment or should I organise this?

Following the abolition of HIPs, energy assessments was maintained a compulsory component of moving house. An energy performance certificate needs to be to hand prior to the property being marketed. It is not a task that conveyancers ordinarily organise. If you are using a Sparkhill conveyancing practitioner they might help arrange energy performance certificates given their relationships with long established local energy assessors

Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Nottingham. Sparkhill conveyancing solicitors have been appointed. How long does it take for Nottingham to send the offer to the property lawyer?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Nottingham conducted the survey? Have you informed Nottingham as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Nottingham conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

I can not fathom if my lender obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have telephoned my Sparkhill bank branch on various occasions and was told it wasn't an issue and they will lend. My Sparkhill conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they would not lend based on their specific requirements. I have no idea who is right.

Provided that the property lawyer is on the mortgage company panel, they must adhere to the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook provisions 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 mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.

Do I need to be wary by third parties that I am dealing with are suggesting a web based conveyancing firm as opposed to a High Street Sparkhill conveyancing practice?

As with lots of service providers, often input from relatives can be most helpful. But there are lots of parties with a keen interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and banks may put forward conveyancers to select. Sometimes the conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but occasionally there exists a financial incentive behind the recommendation. You are at liberty to appoint your own conveyancer. Don't forget that most mortgage providers specify a panel list of law firms you must use for the mortgage aspect of your transaction.

In my capacity as executor for the will of my father I am disposing of a house in Neath but reside in Sparkhill. My lawyer (who is 250 miles from mehas requested that I sign a stat dec prior to completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing lawyer in Sparkhill to witness and place their company stamp on the document?

strictly speaking you are unlikely to be required to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally any notary public or solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are Sparkhill based

I own a leasehold house in Sparkhill. Conveyancing and TSB mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1996. The conveyancing practitioner in Sparkhill who acted for me is not around. Any advice?

The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to be sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. You do not need to incur the fees of a Sparkhill conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I bought a studio flat in Sparkhill, conveyancing was carried out 8 years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Sparkhill with a long lease are worth £197,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 invoiced every year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2080

With 55 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £31,400 and £36,200 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.

Me and my wife are selling a Sparkhill ground floor flat we inherited ten years ago in 2011. I have over a decades worth of conveyancing knowledge and, now retired, wish to carry out my own legal work. The buyer's conveyancing practitioner has informed me that their building society will not allow us to do our own conveyancing as they require the funds to be sent to a solicitor's bank account.

Lending instructions to property lawyers from all CML members specify that If the seller is not legally represented the borrower's lawyers should check whether the lender needs to be informed so that a decision can be reached as to whether or not they are prepared to progress.