My IFA has requested my Burscough law firm’s panel member for the Lloyds conveyancing panel. How do I discover this. I have called my local Burscough office but they cant find it on their system.

The sensible thing to do is ask for this information from your Burscough solicitor . Most Burscough law firms will keep a file or database of lender panel information which would include, if applicable, their conveyancing panel details for each lender.

We're in Burscough, First time buyers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Lloyds , and our solicitor is on the Lloyds conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Lloyds conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancing practitioner should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on two weeks back in what should have been a quick, no chain conveyancing. Burscough is where the house is located. Can you offer any advice?

Flying freeholds in Burscough are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Burscough you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Burscough may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.

Taking into account that I am about to spend over three hundred thousand on a house in Burscough I would like to talk to a conveyancer concerning thetransaction prior to instructing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

We could not agree more - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the lawyer who will be conducting your property ownership legalities in Burscough.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is unique person, not a matter reference. The law firms that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are calculated and presented to you for residential conveyancing in Burscough should be the figure that you are charged.

I work for a reputable estate agency in Burscough where we have experienced a few leasehold sales derailed as a result of short leases. I have received inconsistent advice from local Burscough conveyancing firms. Can you confirm whether the vendor of a flat can start the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser need not have to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

I invested in buying a 2 bed flat in Burscough, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Similar properties in Burscough with an extended lease are worth £191,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease terminates on 21st October 2080

With just 54 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £31,400 and £36,200 plus legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.