Me and my husband are buying a maisonette in Crediton. My Conveyancer has never been on on the mortgage company conveyancing list. Is it possible for me to continue with my Crediton conveyancing solicitor even though they are not on the lender list of approved lawyers?

You have a number of alternatives available to you here

• Carry on with your chosen Crediton solicitor but your mortgage company will need to retain a solicitor from their approved list. This will result in additional fees together with probable frustration.
• Appoint a new solicitor to act in the purchase, making sure they are on the lender conveyancing panel.
• Appeal to your conveyancer to attempt to join the lender panel

Our Crediton solicitor has uncovered a difference when comparing the information in the home valuation report and what is revealed within the conveyancing documents. My solicitor has advised that he is duty bound to ensure that the bank is happy with this discrepancy and is still content to lend. Is my conveyancer’s stance right?

Your solicitor must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.

I bought my apartment on 7 August and my personal details is yet to be on the land registry website. Should I be concerned? My conveyancing solicitor in Crediton said it will be dealt with inside ten days. Are titles in Crediton particularly slow to register?

As far as conveyancing in Crediton is concerned, registration is no quicker or slower than anywhere else in England and Wales. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can differ depending on who lodges the application, whether there are errors and whether the Land registry communicate with any other persons or bodies. At present approximately 80% of such applications are fully addressed in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be extensive delays. Registration takes place after the buyer has moved in to the property thus post completion formalities is not typically primary concern yet where it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your lawyers could speak with the land registry and explain the circumstances.

I opted to have a survey carried out on a property in Crediton prior to retaining lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the property. Our surveyor has said that some banks may refuse to grant a loan on this type of house.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to call us we can look into this further with the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Crediton. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

Are there common defects that you witness in leases for Crediton properties?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Crediton. All leases are individual and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain provisions are wrong. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts. Repairing obligations to or maintain parts of the property

You will encounter a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Halifax, The Mortgage Works, and Bank of Ireland all have very detailed conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is problematic they may refuse to provide security, obliging the purchaser to withdraw.

I own a 1 bedroom flat in Crediton, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Crediton with an extended lease are worth £180,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 per annum. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2084

With only 59 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £20,900 and £24,200 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.