How do I check that the solicitor carrying out my conveyancing in Crowland is on the bank’sconveyancing panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for TSB thus spending £187.00 plus VAT in supplemental conveyancing costs.

You should take advantage of the search tool on this page. Please choose the mortgage company and type ‘Crowland’ or your preferred area and you will see a number of lawyer located in Crowland or near you.

Can you point me to a directory of Nottingham panel solicitors in Crowland 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 sites. Very few lending institutions make their panel listings viewable on the web. Where you are seeking to appoint a Crowland lawyer on the Nottingham please use our tool.

My partner and I are at the point of looking at apartments in Crowland and I am about to put in an offer. Is it sensible to have my lawyer on ‘stand by’? I am planning to take a mortgage with Santander.

It would be wise to start your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the selling agent. Given that you are seeking a mortgage with Santander, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Santander conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in November 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, Aldermore are being a right pain. The Crowland solicitor who is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Aldermore are insisting on 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'm purchasing a new build house in Crowland benefiting from help to buy. The developers would not budge the amount so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The property agent told me not inform my conveyancer about the extras as it could jeopardize my mortgage with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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.

I was advised by numerous selling agents in Crowland to locate a solicitor using your seach tool. Is there a financial upside for Estate Agents to promote your lawyers ahead of a competitor’s?

We refuse to give any referral fee for directing people our way. We thought it would be too underhand a fee as members of the public would think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

What makes a Crowland lease unmortgageable?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Crowland. Most leases are individual and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain sections are not included. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

Insurance obligations Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the building

A defective lease can cause issues when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. HSBC Bank, The Royal Bank of Scotland, and TSB all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to provide security, forcing the buyer to pull out.

I purchased a basement flat in Crowland, conveyancing formalities finalised April 2008. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Crowland with a long lease are worth £181,000. The ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease expires on 21st October 2076

With 51 years left to run the likely cost is going to range between £30,400 and £35,200 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.