I am buying a ground floor flat in Louth. My lawyer is not listed on the bank conveyancing panel. Is it possible for me to appoint my Louth conveyancing solicitor even though they are excluded from the lender panel?

You have numerous choices open to you here

• Proceed with your chosen Louth solicitor but your bank will undoubtedly appoint a lawyer on their conveyancing panel. The net result is additional cost and likely delay.
• Appoint a fresh property lawyer to conduct the conveyancing, ensuring that they are on the bank conveyancing panel.
• Convince your solicitor to do everything within their powers to get listed on the mortgage company conveyancing panel

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

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

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Nationwide, do Louth conveyancers face a fee to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are not aware of any lender fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do levy an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

Does a directory service exist listing Kent Reliance panel conveyancers in Louth on the Building Society Association’s Website?

No. There is no such tool on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. Very few mortgage companies make their panel listings viewable on the web. Where you are seeking to appoint a Louth lawyer on the Kent Reliance please make the most of our facility.

We previously instructed solicitors based in Louth on the UBS solicitor approved list. They have just billed me an additional fee for the legal aspects of the UBS mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by UBS?

Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your solicitor may charge a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by UBS but by your Louth property lawyer. Some firms on the UBS panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

I have been sourcing a conveyancing lawyer in Louth for my house move. Is it possible to see a solicitor's record with the profession’s regulator?

One may find published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions arising from investigations commenced on or after 1 January 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For details about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors record, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For non-uk callers, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA may monitor telephone calls for training purposes.

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Louth with the aim of speeding up the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Louth can be avoided where you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ lawyers.
The majority of landlords or managing agents in Louth levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Louth. Some Louth leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the annual 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 have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s approval? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Louth leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such changes. If you fail to have the consents to hand you should not contact the landlord without checking with your solicitor first.

I own a 1 bedroom flat in Louth, conveyancing formalities finalised in 1996. 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 Louth with an extended lease are worth £211,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2092

With just 67 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £10,500 and £12,000 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account 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 before getting professional advice.