My partner and I are nearing an exchange on a flat in Aldershot and my mum and dad have sent the exchange deposit to my solicitor. I am now told that as the deposit has not arrived from me my solicitor needs to disclose this to my mortgage company. Apparently, in also acting for the bank he must inform them that the balance of the purchase price is coming from anyone other than me. I disclosed to the lender concerning my parents' contribution when I applied for the mortgage, so is it really appropriate for him to raise this?

Your property lawyer is obliged to check with lender to make sure that they know that the balance of the purchase price is not from your own funds. The solicitor can only disclose this to your bank if you permit them to, failing which, your lawyer must cease to continue acting.

Can you clarify what the consequences are if my lawyer’s firm is suspended from the UBS Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Aldershot?

The first thing to point out is that, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.

Does a directory service exist listing TSB panel solicitors in Aldershot on the Building Society Association’s Website?

No. There is no such facility on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. A small selection of banks make their panel listings available online. Where you are looking for a Aldershot property lawyer on the TSB please use our tool.

We previously instructed conveyancing lawyers located in Aldershot on the Skipton solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a separate charge for the legal aspects of the Skipton mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Skipton?

Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your lawyer may charge a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Skipton but by your Aldershot conveyancing practitioner. Numerous firms on the Skipton panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

I was told two weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Santander. Is it usual for Santander to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Aldershot is approved on their conveyancing panel? Santander have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their PI Insurance.

A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Santander to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Santander conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I was advised by numerous selling agents in Aldershot to select a solicitor using your seach tool. Is there a financial incentive for Estate Agents to promote your services over and above a competitor’s?

We refuse to give any referral fee for sending work our way. We thought it would be too underhand a fee as home movers will think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the disposal of our £250,000 garden flat in Aldershot in nine days. The landlords agents has quoted £348 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Aldershot?

Aldershot conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes normally involves fees being levied by landlords agents :

Addressing pre-contract enquiries Where consent is required before sale in Aldershot Supplying insurance information Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your conveyancer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Aldershot leasehold premises is £350. For Aldershot conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are obliged to provide the information.

I am the registered owner of a 1st floor flat in Aldershot, conveyancing having been completed 10 years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Corresponding properties in Aldershot with an extended lease are worth £195,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease runs out on 21st October 2086

With only 62 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £17,100 and £19,800 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.