I am about to complete buying a property in Worcestershire but as a consequence of damage from some water damage at the property I have was able negotiate recompense from the current proprietors of £3k in the form of a reduction in the price. This was going to be dealt with as part of the conveyancing process yet HSBC are not allowing this. Should they have been approached?

Any conveyancer being on a HSBC conveyancing panel is obliged to inform HSBC of any variations to the purchase price. If you were to refuse your lawyer to report the reduction to HSBC then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, HSBC and you would have to appoint a new conveyancing practitioner for your conveyancing in Worcestershire.

Is there a list of Skipton panel solicitors in Worcestershire on the Building Society Association’s Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such facility on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. Very few lending institutions make their panel listings visible over the internet. Where you are looking for a Worcestershire conveyancing practitioner on the Skipton please use our tool.

I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Worcestershire. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £225. A few days later, the lawyer called me to say that they were not on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Aldermore panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Leeds Building Society have agreed my mortgage in principle, my bid on a house in Worcestershire has been accepted, what are the next steps?

Your property agent will need to know who your solicitors are (ensure that the property lawyers are on the bank’s panel). Contact Leeds Building Society or your broker and finalise any appropriate paperwork. Leeds Building Society will instruct a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or owners to arrange a time for the valuation to occur. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes on average ten days to receive the mortgage offer. Leeds Building Society will issue the offer to you and your conveyancing practitioners. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Worcestershire.

Various online forums that I have frequented warn that are the number one reason for obstruction in Worcestershire conveyancing transactions. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published findings of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the common causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are unlikely to be the root cause of delay in conveyancing in Worcestershire.

What tools are available to identify a Worcestershire solicitor on the Birmingham Midshires conveyancing panel? I am a keen cyclist and am willing to travel upto 10kilometers to meet the solicitor.

Feel free to make use of the facility on this website. Please select a mortgage company and your location and you will see a number of Worcestershire conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have listed some Worcestershire conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can call them to see whether they are on the Birmingham Midshires approved list

I own a leasehold house in Worcestershire. Conveyancing and Bank of Ireland mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing practitioner in Worcestershire who previously acted has long since retired. Any advice?

The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to be sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. You do not need to instruct a Worcestershire conveyancing firm to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I bought a 1st floor flat in Worcestershire, conveyancing formalities finalised in 1997. 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 Worcestershire with over 90 years remaining are worth £211,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2094

With only 68 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.