Some advice if I may. My Widnes lawyer is assuring me that she is duty bound toapply for Widnes conveyancing searches stemming from the fact thatthe firm are on the HSBCsolicitor panel. Do I not have any say here?

You have limited options available to you. As you are obtaining a mortgage with a mortgage company your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your solicitor would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your lender’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook requirements . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Widnes conveyancing searches.

I am buying a semi-detached house in Widnes. How practical is it for me to do the conveyancing?

Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing in Widnes you will have to appoint a solicitor on your mortgage company's conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to be made in you doing conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on your lender panel in Widnes.

My uncle informed me that in buying a property in Widnes there may be a number of restrictions preventing external alterations to a property. Is this right?

There are anumerous of properties in Widnes which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to perform external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Widnes should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

We previously selected conveyancing lawyers located in Widnes on the Virgin Money solicitor panel. They have just billed me a supplemental amount for handling the Virgin Money mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Virgin Money?

Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your lawyer can levy a fee for this. This fee is not set by Virgin Money but by your Widnes lawyer. Some firms on the Virgin Money panel will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee but some practices include it on their overall fee.

Having digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Widnes solicitor - who is on the Barclays conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Barclays will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Barclays 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. Your solicitor will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Widnes postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Barclays, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Widnes.

About to purchase a new build flat in Widnes. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build conveyancing.

Set out below is a sample of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Widnes

The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme. Please confirm the Lease plans are architect prepared. Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. 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. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Widnes from the perspective of expediting the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Widnes can be avoided where you get in touch lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and ask them to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ solicitors.
Some Widnes leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers. If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved prior to the flat being put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where a dispute is unresolved. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to present the dispute as over rather than unsettled. If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should make sure that you are holding the original share document. Arranging a duplicate share certificate is often a time consuming formality and slows down many a Widnes conveyancing deal. If a new share is required, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (where relevant) for this sooner rather than later.

I purchased a 1st floor flat in Widnes, conveyancing formalities finalised 5 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? Comparable properties in Widnes with over 90 years remaining are worth £260,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 yearly. The lease terminates on 21st October 2100

With just 75 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £8,600 and £9,800 plus legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.