Me and my fiance are acquiring property in East Cowes. My property lawyer is not on the lender approved list. Am I still permitted to appoint my East Cowes conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the bank panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?

You have numerous alternatives open to you here

• Proceed with your existing East Cowes solicitor but your lender will need to retain a conveyancing practitioner on their approved list. This will result in additional cost and potential interruption.
• Choose a new property lawyer to act in the purchase, making sure they are on the bank conveyancing panel.
• Convince your conveyancing practitioner to do everything within their powers to get accepted on the bank’s panel of solicitors

The deeds to my home can not be found. The conveyancers who conducted the conveyancing in East Cowes 5 years ago are no longer around. What are my next steps?

Assuming the title is registered the details of your ownership will be documented by the Land Registry under a Title Number. It is possible to perform a search at the Land Registry, identify your property and secure current copies of the property title for a small fee. If the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will also normally hold a certified copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be retrieved for twenty pounds.

I'm buying my first flat in East Cowes with a mortgage from Platform Home Loans Ltd. The sellers would not budge the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative suggested that I not disclose to my lawyer about this side-deal as it may jeopardize my loan with Platform Home Loans Ltd. 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.

How can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my commercial offices in East Cowes and how can you help?

The particular law that you refer to gives protection to commercial leaseholders, giving them the legal entitlement to make a request to court for a new tenancy and remain in occupation at the end of the lease term. There are limited grounds where a landlord can refuse a lease renewal and the rules are complicated. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. East Cowes is one of our numerous locations in which the firms we work with are located

I've found a house that seems to be perfect, at a great price which is making it all the more appealing. I have just found out that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns purchasing a leasehold house in East Cowes. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been appointed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in East Cowes are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in East Cowes in which case you should be shopping around for a East Cowes conveyancing practitioner and check that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the freeholder’spermission to carry out alterations. It may be necessary to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is located on an estate. Your lawyer will appraise you on the various issues.

I inherited a 1st floor flat in East Cowes, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. 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? Corresponding flats in East Cowes with an extended lease are worth £181,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease runs out on 21st October 2074

With only 50 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £31,400 and £36,200 as well as professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns 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 placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.