IfI were to acquire a simple residential propertyin Shard End for cash and have no survey and no conveyancing searches how much would I expect to to save on my conveyancing in Shard End?

Any savings you would make would be isolated to the Shard End conveyancing searches. The lawyer still be obliged to do everything else - money laundering, communicating with the vendors conveyancer, stamp duty return, register the title etc. A slight saving might be made by not needing to register a charge however it will not be meaningful.

My aunt passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Shard End. The house had a small mortgage remaining of approximately £4500. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Skipton, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?

Given you intend to refinance then Skipton will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Skipton conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Skipton mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

I am helping my niece sell her flat in Shard End. Does the conveyancing solicitor order the EPC or should I organise this?

Following the abolition of Home Packs, energy assessments was kept a required element of moving property. An energy assessment must be commissioned before the property is put on the market. This is not as aspect of the sale process that lawyers ordinarily organise. If you are instructing a Shard End conveyancing practitioner they might be able to arrange EPC’s due to their relationships with long established Shard End providers

We expect to receive a DIP from Barclays this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Barclays recommend any Shard End solicitors on the Barclays conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?

You will need to appoint Shard End solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Barclays conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Barclays through the process.

I am due to exchange contracts on my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in January 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Aldermore are being pedantic. The Shard End solicitor who is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Aldermore are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Aldermore have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Aldermore have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Aldermore may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

I am looking for a flat up to £195,000 and found one near me in Shard End I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, however it's only got 49 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Shard End in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?

If you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease will be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.

I have been recommended by two or three local property agents in Shard End to locate a solicitor on your site. Is there a financial upside for Estate Agents to offer your site rather than another?

We refuse to make any commission for pointing buyers and sellers to this site. We found it would be just too difficult to pay a commission as a client could think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.