My brother-in-law has suggested I instruct a conveyancing solicitor in West Kirby. I I am struggling to find out if they are accepted on the Barclays approved list of lawyers. Can you advise?

The first thing you should do is e-mail your lawyer and ask them whether they are on the lender panel. Alternatively please get in touch with Barclays who may be able to assist.

is it true that all West Kirby solicitor firms on the Lloyds conveyancing panel are overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Lloyds approved list of solicitors they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many banks do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be governed by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

I had a mortgage agreed in principle with Virgin Money. West Kirby conveyancing lawyers were chosen. How long does it take for Virgin Money to forward the offer to the property lawyer?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Virgin Money completed the survey? Have you informed Virgin Money as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

Having read lots of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local West Kirby solicitor - who is on the Principality conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Principality will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Principality will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own West Kirby surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

I decided to have a survey done on a house in West Kirby prior to instructing lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. My surveyor advised that some lenders will not give a mortgage on such a home.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different requirements from Halifax. If you contact us we can look into this further via the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in West Kirby. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in West Kirby especially if they are accustomed to such properties in West Kirby.

I've found a house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently been informed that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns buying a leasehold house in West Kirby. Conveyancing advisers have are soon to be instructed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in West Kirby are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in West Kirby so you should seriously consider shopping around for a West Kirby conveyancing solicitor and check that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as obtaining the landlord’sconsent to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is located on an estate. Your conveyancer should appraise you on the various issues.

I acquired a ground floor flat in West Kirby, conveyancing having been completed 8 years ago. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Similar flats in West Kirby with an extended lease are worth £191,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced every year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2078

With only 54 years left to run the likely cost is going to be between £31,400 and £36,200 plus legals.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.

I have just appointed agents to market my basement flat in West Kirby.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon however I have just had a yearly service charge demand – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should pay the service charge as you normally would as all rents and maintenance invoices will be apportionedas part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process