Completed the sale of my flat in Speke last October yet the purchaser is texting every few hours to say his lawyer needs to hear from mine. What are the post completion sale legalities now that I have sold?

Post completion of your house sale your solicitor is obliged to send the transfer documentation and all supplemental paperwork to the purchaser's conveyancer. If applicable, your conveyancer should also send confirmation that the legal charge in favour of the lender has been discharged to the purchasers solicitors. There are no post completion procedures specific conveyancing in Speke.

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

As your lender is Yorkshire BS your lawyer must comply with the formal requirements set out in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Yorkshire BS. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook stipulates minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Yorkshire BS where a lease fails to satisfy these requirements. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not isolated to Speke.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Nationwide. I assume I don't need a Speke conveyancing practitioner on the Nationwide panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your Nationwide mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Nationwide mortgage from the register. Nationwide, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Nationwide has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Nationwide has instructed the Land Registry to do so

Barclays have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a apartment in Speke has been agreed to, now what?

The property agent will need to be advised as to your conveyancer's details (ensure that the conveyancers are on the lender’s approved list). Call up Barclays or your broker and complete any relevant documentation. Barclays will sellect a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or owners to book a slot for the valuation to occur. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes on average a fortnight to get a mortgage offer. Barclays will send the offer to you and your conveyancers. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Speke.

My wife and I are selling our home in Speke and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being constructed on contaminated land. Any local lawyer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers are using an online conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Speke. We have lived in Speke for 5 years we know of no issue. Do we contact our local Authority to get clarification that the buyers are looking for.

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 ailment)

I need to instruct a conveyancing lawyer in Speke for my home move. Is there any facility to check a firm’s record with the profession’s regulator?

Members of the public can search for presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions stemming from investigations started on or after Jan 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For details about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors history, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. International callers, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA may monitor call for training purposes.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to choosing a Speke conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Speke conveyancing firm) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you talk with several firms including non Speke conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions might be useful:

How familiar is the firm with lease extension legislation? Can they put you in touch with clients in Speke who can give a testimonial?

Speke Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

The best form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this arrangement the lessees benefit from control and although a managing agent is usually employed if it is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves. The answer will be important as a) areas may cause problems in the block as the communal areas may start to deteriorate if repairs are not paid for b) if the tenants have a dispute with the managing agents you will wish to have all the details Make sure you discover if the the lease includes any unreasonable restrictions in the lease. By way of example it is very common in Speke leases that pets are not permitted in in a block in Speke. If you like the flatin Speke yet your dog can’t live with you then you will be presented with a difficult choice.