It has come to my attention via my mortgage broker that my Stapleford the law firm I have appointed is not on the mortgage company Solicitor panel. What can I do to be sure that this is correct?

The first thing you need to do is to contact your Stapleford lawyer directly. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to advise you of the situation. Where they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the approved list of lawyers for your bank.

I am in a contract race with another prospective purchaser for a property in Stapleford. What can I do to speed up matters?

In the event that the seller is applying a tight deadline for your conveyancing we would recommend that your conveyancer is familiar with the location as they will have local contacts and intelligence. It is even conceivable that they would have transacted otherhomes in the same neighbourhood. Therefore consider using a Stapleford conveyancing firm. In addition, check that the lawyer is on the lender panel. It is estimated that just under twenty per cent of Stapleford conveyancing transactions are frustrated or jeopardised after discovering a purchaser’s lawyer was not on their mortgage lender’s list of approved solicitors. This can often result in the conveyancing being frustrated by almost 21 days. It is estimated that this issue affects in the region of 100,000 home moves every year. Most Stapleford conveyancing practices can not act for certain lenders so do check as early as possible.

My relative recommended that if I am buying in Stapleford I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is usually quoted for as part of the standard Stapleford conveyancing searches. It is a large report of about 40 pages, listing and setting out significant information about Stapleford around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Stapleford Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Stapleford.

I have recently realised that I have 68 years left on my lease in Stapleford. I now wish to get lease extension but my freeholder is missing. What should I do?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have done all that could be expected to track down the landlord. On the whole an enquiry agent may be useful to try and locate and prepare a report which can be accepted by the court as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on proving the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Stapleford.

I bought a 1 bedroom flat in Stapleford, conveyancing having been completed May 2000. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding flats in Stapleford with over 90 years remaining are worth £186,000. The ground rent is £55 per annum. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2077

With only 52 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £29,500 and £34,000 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending 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 additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

Been searching for a solicitor for freehold sale conveyancing in Stapleford. I'm selling, simple no mortgage to discharge, no hurry, no onward chain. Got an estimate from a property lawyer for £1000 excluding VAT which is a little expensive considering its so straightforward. Is it possible to find less expensive fees for conveyancing in Stapleford?

Given that it’s a sale only, £500 + VAT is likely to be about the cheapest for sale conveyancing in Stapleford.