We previously chose conveyancing lawyers based in Colyton on the TSB solicitor panel. They are now charging me a further fee for the legal aspects of the TSB mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by TSB?

As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your conveyancing practitioner can levy a fee for this. The fee is not set by TSB but by your Colyton solicitor. Plenty of firms on the TSB panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some firms include it on their overall fee.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Colyton. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Barclays be concerned?

Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Barclays your lawyer must follow the formal requirements outlined in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Barclays. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook stipulates minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancers are required to report to Barclays where a lease fails to meet these requirements. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not isolated to Colyton.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Colyton off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Principality. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. 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 Principality, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Principality conveyancing panel.

I am purchasing a new build house in Colyton benefiting from help to buy. The builders would not budge the price so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The sale representative suggested that I not inform my conveyancer about the extras as it may jeopardize my loan with HSBC Bank. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

In scouring the web for the phrase conveyancing in Colyton it brings up many solicitorslocally. How do I determine which is the suitable conveyancing solicitor for purchase transaction?

The best method of finding the right conveyancer is via personal referral, so seek the opinion of friends and relatives who have bought a property in Colyton or a local estate agent or mortgage broker. Charges for conveyancing in Colyton vary, so it's sensible to secure at least three estimates from varying types of property lawyers. Be sure to obtain confirmation that the costs are guaranteed not to to be inflated.

I work for a long established estate agency in Colyton where we have witnessed a few flat sales put at risk as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received contradictory information from local Colyton conveyancing firms. Can you confirm whether the seller of a flat can instigate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

I acquired a 1 bedroom flat in Colyton, conveyancing was carried out March 2008. 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? Equivalent properties in Colyton with a long lease are worth £191,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease expires on 21st October 2077

You have 53 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £27,600 and £31,800 plus professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more detailed investigations. You should not use this information 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 want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.

As a tenant I am liable for a service charge for my first floor flat in Colyton. As a result of personal circumstances I fell behind with remittance. I negotiated a clearance plan but there remains two remaining to be paid.

I am under pressure to sell and I am nervous that this could hold me back if I have to discharge the amount due in advance. Do I have to settle before - is this practicable?

The solicitor conducting your Colyton sale should be in a position to negotiate with the appropriate parties, with a new to seeing if they would accept settlement from sale proceeds. Here is an example of why it is advisable to choose a conveyancer in Colyton as they are likely to have a strong line of communication with the parties.