It is 10 years ago since I acquired my home in Hanley. Conveyancing lawyers have just been instructed on the sale but I can't locate my title deeds. Is this a problem?

Don’t worry too much. Firstly the deeds may be retained by your lender or they may still be with the lawyers who oversaw your purchase. Secondly in most cases the land will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Hanley relates to registered property but in the rare situation where your home is not registered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.

Just had an offer accepted on a new build apartment in Hanley. Conveyancing is a frightening process 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 legal work.

Set out below are examples of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Hanley

Please supply a car parking plan. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier? 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. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £195,000 and identified one close by in Hanley I like with a park and station nearby, however it's only got 51 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Hanley in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

Should you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease will be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you could ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this.

My husband and I are FTB’s - had an offer accepted, but the agent advised that the seller will only issue a contract if we instruct their recommended lawyers as they are insisting on a ‘quick sale’. Our preferred option is to instruct a high street conveyancer accustomed to conveyancing in Hanley

We suspect that the owner is unaware of this ultimatum. Should the owner desire ‘a quick sale', alienating a serious purchaser is not the way to achieve this. Speak to the vendors direct and explain that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to go, with mortgage lined up © you have nothing to sell (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you are going to use your preferred Hanley conveyancing firm - not the ones that will earn the negotiator at the agency a referral fee or achieve conveyancing thresholds set by HQ.

Our conveyancing in Hanley is completing on Friday, however the vendors I am purchasing from wants to move out on the Saturday PM. Do I accept this?

You can't complete on a Saturday because the bank systems are not operational.