My wife and I are purchasing a 1 bedroom flat in Oakley with a mortgage. We would like to retain our Oakley conveyancer, however the lender advise she’s not on their "panel". It appears that we have no choice but to use one of the lender panel conveyancing practices or retain our Oakley conveyancer and pay for one of their panel firms to represent them. We regard this is unjust; can we not demand that the mortgage company use our Oakley property lawyer ?

Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms 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 Oakley conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

Do I need to pop into the offices of the solicitor to execute the legal charge? If so, I will appoint a lawyer who conducts conveyancing in Oakley so that I can pop in to their offices if required.

Nowadays approved lawyers for mortgage companies conduct the vast majority of communications via Royal Mail, e-mail or over phone calls. This means that they can undertake the conveyancing transaction no matter where you live in England or Wales. That being said you can check if you can still book an appointment to visit conveyancing lawyer if just in case this is required.

There is lots of information on this site regarding conveyancing in Oakley but what is your top tip for selecting the right conveyancer in Oakley

It would be unwise to be seduced by the lowest Oakley conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unexperienced as FTB of a garden flat in Oakley. Do I collect the keys to the house on the completion date from my lawyer? If so, I will appoint a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Oakley?

On the day of completion you will not be required to go to the conveyancers office in Oakley. Your solicitors will transfer the purchase money to the seller's solicitors, and once they have received this, you should be able to collect the keys from the property Agents and move into your new home. This tends to happen between 1 and 3pm.

I'm the sole recipient of my late father’s estate and I have everything in my name now, including the my former home in Oakley. The Oakley property was put into my name in October. I now wish to sell up. I do know about the Mortgage Lenders six month 'rule', which means that my proprietorship will be regarded the same way as if I'd bought the house in October. Is the property unsalable for six months?

The CML handbook obliges solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you might be impacted by that. Some lenders would take a pragmatic view as this obligation is principally there to capture subsales or the quick reselling of property.

As co-executor for the estate of my uncle I am selling a house in Newport but reside in Oakley. My lawyer (based 300 kilometers awayneeds me to sign a statutory declaration prior to completion. Can you recommend a conveyancing solicitor in Oakley to witness this legal document for me?

Technically speaking you should not need to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally any notary public or qualified solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are located in Oakley

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Fifty years remaining on my lease in Oakley. I now wish to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. What are my options?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the Court. You will be obliged to prove that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to find the freeholder. On the whole an enquiry agent may be helpful to try and locate and to produce a report which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor both on investigating the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court overseeing Oakley.

Oakley Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should consider before buying

Are any of leasehold owners in dispute over their service charge payments? How long is the Lease? The majority of Oakley leasehold apartments will have a service charge for the upkeep of the block set by the freeholder. If you buy the property you will have to pay this contribution, normally periodically throughout the year. This can vary from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. In all probability there will be a rentcharge for you to pay yearly, ordinarily this is not a large sum, say about £25-£75 but you should to enquire as occasionally it can be prohibitively expensive.