I have been referred to a conveyancing solicitor in Wolverhampton. I need to find out whether they are accepted on the The Royal Bank of Scotland approved list of lawyers. Can you help?

The first thing you should do is contact the lawyer and enquire if they are on the lender panel. Otherwise please call The Royal Bank of Scotland who may be able to assist.

We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from Skipton as we wish to conduct improvements to our home in Wolverhampton. Do we need to appoint a high street Wolverhampton solicitor on the Skipton conveyancing panel to handle the paperwork?

Skipton would not normally require firms on their approved list of lawyers to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Skipton conveyancing panel.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Wolverhampton. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Yorkshire BS have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

Given that your lender is Yorkshire BS your lawyer must check the conveyancing requirements contained in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Yorkshire BS. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook contains minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancers are required to report to Yorkshire BS where a lease does not satisfy these conditions. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not limited to Wolverhampton.

My sealed bid on a house in Wolverhampton has been accepted, but there is a chain. The owners have placed an offer on a flat, however it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other apartments in the pipeline. I have selected a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Wolverhampton. What should be my next step? When should I get the mortgage application with Yorkshire BS started?

It is normal to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses too early (mortgage application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then survey, Wolverhampton conveyancing search fees, etc). First, you should ensure that your lawyer is on the Yorkshire BS approved list. As to the subsequent stages this very much dictated by the circumstances of your transaction, motivation for this property and on the state of the market. During a rising market the majority of home buyers would apply for a home loan with Yorkshire BS and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they ask their conveyancing practitioner to move forward with the conveyancing in Wolverhampton.

I opted to have a survey carried out on a house in Wolverhampton ahead of instructing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. My surveyor advised that some banks tend refuse to give a loan on such a property.

It varies from the lender to lender. Bank of Scotland has different instructions for example to Nationwide. If you e-mail us we can look into this further with the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Wolverhampton. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

In what way does the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my business premises in Wolverhampton and how can you help?

The particular law that you refer to gives security of tenure to business leaseholders, giving them the a statutory right to apply to court for a new tenancy and continue in occupation when the lease reaches an end. There are certain specified grounds that a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are involved. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. Wolverhampton is one of the hundreds of locations in which our lawyers are located

Is it necessary during the course of the conveyancing process to attend the offices of the lender conveyancing panel solicitor to execute the legal charge? If so, I will instruct a firm who offer conveyancing in Wolverhampton so that I can attend their offices when needed.

Whereas this was necessary twenty years ago, most lenders no longer require their conveyancing panel solicitor to witness the borrowers signature. You will still be obliged to provide ID Documents and there are still distinct advantages to using a local solicitor, in your case a conveyancing solicitor in Wolverhampton.