Is the fact that my solicitor in Whitehaven is not identified on my mortgage company's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of her work?

It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Where you are concerned you should simply call the Whitehaven conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.

It is is a decade since I bought my property in Whitehaven. Conveyancing lawyers have now been instructed on the sale but I am unable to find the title deeds. Is this a problem?

Don’t worry too much. First there is a chance that the deeds will be retained by your lender or they may stored with the solicitor who oversaw your purchase. Secondly in all probability the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers acquiring current official copies of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Whitehaven relates to registered property but in the rare situation where your home is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.

I am planning on selling our home in Whitehaven and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built land that was not decontaminated. Any local lawyer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers used an internet conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Whitehaven. Having lived in Whitehaven for 4 years we know that this is a non issue. Should we get in touch with our local Authority to get clarification that there is no issue.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor already. What do they say? You must 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)

About to purchase a new build apartment in Whitehaven. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build legal work.

Here is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Whitehaven

Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company?

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in Whitehaven I like with open areas and station in the vicinity, however it's only got 51 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Whitehaven suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?

If you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.