My partner and I are purchasing a newly constructed apartment in Liverpool and my solicitor is telling me that she has to the lender to reveal incentives from the seller. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to exchange contracts and I don't want to prolong deal. is my lawyer playing by the book?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on a bank panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

Are the Liverpool conveyancing solicitors identified as being on the Barclays conveyancing panel, together with their details provided by Barclays?

Liverpool conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Barclays conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Barclays directly.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £235,500 and identified one round the corner in Liverpool I like with amenity areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it's only got 52 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Liverpool in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?

Should you need a home loan that many years may be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.

I have been sourcing a conveyancing lawyer in Liverpool for my house move. Is it possible to review a firm’s record with the legal regulator?

Members of the public can search for documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions arising from inquisitions commenced on or after 1 January 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find information Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors history, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For non-uk callers, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA could recorded telephone calls for training reasons.

I want to let out my leasehold apartment in Liverpool. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Is permission from the freeholder required?

Notwithstanding that your previous Liverpool conveyancing solicitor is no longer around you can check your lease to check if it allows you to sublet the property. The accepted inference is that if the deeds are silent, subletting is allowed. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you must seek consent via your landlord or other appropriate person prior to subletting. This means that you cannot sublet in the absence of prior permission. Such consent is not allowed to be unreasonably turned down. If the lease prohibits you from subletting the property you should ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

I invested in buying a garden flat in Liverpool, conveyancing having been completed February 1997. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Comparable flats in Liverpool with over 90 years remaining are worth £260,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2098

With only 74 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £8,600 and £9,800 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.