I am obtaining a offer of a home loan from Halifax. I intend to retain the legal services of a Licensed Conveyancer in Waterhouses. Does the Halifax Solicitor panel include conveyancers regulated by the CLC?

The Halifax approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, associated to the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

I require conveyancing for an apartment in a relatively new development (6 years built) in Waterhouses. The vast majority the appartments have already been disposed of. Do I need carry out the local searches for my conveyancing in Waterhouses?

Conveyancing Searches are a central link in the Waterhouses conveyancing process. There are numerous companies who offer Waterhouses conveyancing searches, as well straight from the local authority. These are generally termed personal search companies due to them carrying out, personal searches. However, all Local Authority Search conveyancing products have one thing in common - they must obtain their data from the local authority.

My relative recommended that if I am purchasing in Waterhouses I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is occasionally included in the estimate for your Waterhouses conveyancing searches. It is a large report of about 40 pages, listing and setting out significant information about Waterhouses around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Waterhouses Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about Waterhouses.

What tools are available to locate a Waterhouses law firm on the conveyancing panel? I am a keen cyclist and am willing to travel upto 10miles to meet the lawyer.

You can use the tool on this website. Please choose the bank and your location and you will see a number of Waterhouses conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have listed some Waterhouses conveyancing firms towards the end of this page and you can contact them to verify if they are on the member panel

I own a leasehold flat in Waterhouses. Conveyancing and mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1993. The conveyancing practitioner in Waterhouses who previously acted has long since retired. Any advice?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to instruct a Waterhouses conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I am the registered owner of a studio flat in Waterhouses, conveyancing having been completed in 1995. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Waterhouses with over 90 years remaining are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease finishes on 21st October 50

You have 50 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £36,100 and £41,800 plus legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.