My fiance and I wish to acquire a 3 bedroom flat in Durrington with a loan from Nationwide Building Society.We use our Durrington conveyancing practitioner but Nationwide Building Society says she’s not listed on their approved list of firms. We have to appoint a Nationwide Building Society panel solicitor or retain our high street solicitor and pay for a Nationwide Building Society panel lawyer to represent them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that Nationwide Building Society use our lawyer?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage issued to you is subject to its terms and conditions, a common one being that lawyers will be on the Nationwide Building Society conveyancing panel. Until recently, most mortgage companies had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Nationwide Building Society

I'm purchasing a new build house in Durrington benefiting from help to buy. The builders refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The house builders rep told me not inform my solicitor about this side-deal as it would adversely affect my loan with Leeds Building Society. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

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

It varies from the lender to lender. HSBC has different requirements from Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to telephone us we can check via the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Durrington. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Durrington to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

I am downsizing from my house. My past solicitors have shut. I am in need of a recommendation of a conveyancing firm. I happen to live in Durrington if that affects matters.

Do use our search tool to help you find a solicitor for your conveyancing in Durrington. We have connected thousands of home buyers and sellers with regulated solicitors to ensure that the legalities of their house move goes with a minimum of fuss.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Durrington from the point of view of expediting the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Durrington can be bypassed if you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ lawyers.
If you have had conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are settled before the property is put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be concerned about purchasing a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as over rather than unsettled. You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable double-check by asking your conveyancers. A buyer’s lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is below 75 years. In the circumstances it is important at an early stage that you consider whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale. Some Durrington leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors. If you hold a share in a the Management Company, you should ensure that you are holding the original share document. Obtaining a re-issued share certificate can be a time consuming formality and frustrates many a Durrington home move. Where a reissued share certificate is necessary, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.

I invested in buying a ground floor flat in Durrington, conveyancing having been completed in 2007. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Similar flats in Durrington with a long lease are worth £191,000. The ground rent is £55 per annum. The lease finishes on 21st October 2079

With just 54 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £31,400 and £36,200 plus costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do 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. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.