Me and my fiance are buying a leasehold flat in Stockport. My lawyer has never been on on the mortgage company solicitor list. Can I still use my Stockport conveyancing solicitor even though they are excluded from the mortgage company list of approved lawyers?

You have a couple of choices open to you here

• Proceed with your preferred Stockport property lawyer but your lender will need to use a lawyer on their conveyancing panel. This will result in additional fees together with potential frustration.
• Get a new lawyer to act in the purchase, ensuring that they are on the bank conveyancing panel.
• Appeal to your solicitor to attempt to join the bank panel

My wife and I have lately purchased a property in Stockport. We have since encountered a number of problems with the property which we believe were overlooked in the conveyancing searches. Is there anything we can do? Can you clarify the type of searches that should have been carried out for conveyancing in Stockport?

It is not clear from the question as what problems have arisen and if they are relate to conveyancing in Stockport. Conveyancing searches and due diligence undertaken during the buying process are supposed to help avoid problems. As part of the process, a seller completes a form known as a Seller’s Property Information Form. answers provided is inaccurate, then you may have a claim against the owner for any losses that you have suffered. The survey should have identified any problems with the structure of the property. Assuming a detailed survey was carried out and the issues were not identified, you may have a claim against the surveyor. However, if you did not have a full survey, you may be responsible for fixing any defects that have now been noted. We would always encourage buyers to take every possible step to ensure they are completely aware of the condition of a property before purchase regardless of whether they are buying in Stockport.

As someone unfamiliar with conveyancing in Stockport what’s your top tip you can give me concerning the legal transfer of property in Stockport

Not many law firms shout this from the rooftops but conveyancing in Stockport and elsewhere in England and Wales is an adversarial process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is an abundance of opportunity for conflict between you and other parties involved in the home moving process. For instance, the seller, property agent and even potentially your bank. Choosing a law firm for your conveyancing in Stockport is a critical decision as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE person in the legal process whose responsibility is to act in your legal interests and to protect you.

There is a worrying ongoing adversarial element to conveyancing- someone has to be at fault for the process being so protracted. We recommend that you must always trust your solicitor above the other players in the conveyancing process.

I moved into my home on 1 October and my personal details are still not registered. Any reason for this? My conveyancing solicitor in Stockport said it would be concluded in a couple of weeks. Are properties in Stockport particularly slow to register?

As far as conveyancing in Stockport registration is no faster or slower than anywhere else in England and Wales. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can vary depending on who lodges the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry have to notify any 3rd parties. As of today roughly 80% of such applications are fully dealt with in less than three weeks but some can be subject to extensive hold-ups. Historically registration is effected once the new owner is living at the property thus 'speed' is not usually an essential issue but if there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your solicitor should communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £245,000 and identified one round the corner in Stockport I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 61 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Stockport suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?

If you need a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will be an issue. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you could ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.