I am purchasing a 4 bedroom semi-detached house in Kendal. Our aim is to convert the garage to an office at the house.Will legal work on the property involve investigations to determine if these alterations are permitted?

Your solicitor will review the registered title as conveyancing in Kendal can on occasion identify restrictions in the title deeds which prohibit categories of changes or require the consent of another owner. Certain works call for local authority planning permissions and approval in compliance with building regulations. Certain areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. It would be wise to check these issues with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Kendal. I have a mortgage offer with Leeds Building Society. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Leeds Building Society, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel.

Having read lots of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Kendal solicitor - who is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Leeds Building Society will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Leeds Building Society will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Kendal surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

Should our lawyer be raising enquiries regarding flooding as part of the conveyancing in Kendal.

Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors dealing with homes in Kendal. Plenty of people will purchase a property in Kendal, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable insurance cover, or dispose of the premises. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the buyer.

Solicitors are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous checks that can be undertaken by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which will figure out the risks in Kendal. The standard information sent to a purchaser’s solicitor (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) contains a standard inquiry of the seller to find out whether the property has historically flooded. In the event that the property has been flooded in past which is not notified by the owner, then a buyer could bring a claim for damages as a result of such an inaccurate reply. A buyer’s conveyancers should also commission an enviro report. This should disclose whether there is any known flood risk. If so, further investigations should be carried out.

What is different about your site and alternative internet conveyancing brokers for conveyancing in Kendal?

At this site obtain a fixed fee costs illustration from a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer that has a full understanding of the nuances for your conveyancing in Kendal. Unlike many estate agents and brokerage sites we do not charge firms a commission if you appoint them for your home move in Kendal

My husband and I are novice buyers - had an offer accepted, yet the estate agent advised that the vendor will only move forward if we use the agent's preferred solicitors as they want an ‘expedited deal’. My instinct tells me that we should use a high street conveyancer accustomed to conveyancing in Kendal

We suspect that the owner is unaware of this request. If they want ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a motivated purchaser is not the way to achieve this. Try to communicate with the vendors directly and make sure they comprehend that (a)you are motivated purchasers (b)you are ready to progress, with mortgage lined up © you are unencumbered (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you are going to appoint your preferred Kendal conveyancing solicitors - not the ones that will earn their estate agent a introducer fee or meet his conveyancing thresholds set by head office.

I've recently bought a leasehold property in Kendal. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I bought a ground floor flat in Kendal, conveyancing having been completed 10 years ago. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Comparable properties in Kendal with over 90 years remaining are worth £206,000. The ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease ceases on 21st October 2093

With only 67 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £10,500 and £12,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

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 the actual costs 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 considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.