I am one month into the sale of my apartment in Northwich and the estate agent has just text me to advise that the buyers are switching property lawyer. The excuse is that the lender will only deal with solicitors on their approved list. Why would a major mortgage company only engage with specific law firms rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in Northwich ?

Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the last few years big names such as HSBC, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for many years.

Lending institutions attribute this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The buyers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

I am buying a 3 bedroom semi in Northwich. The intention is to carry out a loft conversion at the house.Will legal work on the property involve investigations to determine if these alterations are prohibited?

Your conveyancer should check the registered title as conveyancing in Northwich will on occasion reveal restrictions in the title deeds which prohibit certain alterations or need the permission of another owner. Some works need local authority planning permissions and approval in accordance building regulations. Many areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.

I had a mortgage agreed in principle with . Northwich conveyancing practitioners were instructed. How long does it take for to issue the offer to the ?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have conducted the survey? Have you advised as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

I have paid off my mortgage with . I assume I don't need a Northwich on the panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the mortgage from the register. , and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. has instructed the Land Registry to do so

What does a local search inform me regarding the property my wife and I buying in Northwich?

Northwich conveyancing often starts with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search organisations such as PSG The local search plays an important role in many a Northwich conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any nasty surprises after you move into your new home. The search should supply information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 topic sections.

About to purchase a new build apartment in Northwich. Conveyancing is daunting 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 selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Northwich

Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision. Please supply a car parking plan. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. 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. The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme.

Northwich Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

How long is the Lease? Many Northwich leasehold flats will be liable to pay a service bill for maintenance of the block set by the landlord. If you purchase the apartment you will have to pay this charge, usually periodically throughout the year. This can differ from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large common grounds. There will also be a rentcharge to be met yearly, normally this is not a significant amount, say approximately £50-£100 but you need to check as sometimes it could be many hundreds of pounds. The prefered form of lease structure is where the freehold title is owned by the leaseholders. In this situation the leaseholders have being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is often retained where the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders.