I was told today by my mortgage adviser that my Sandgate the law firm I have appointed is not on the bank Solicitor panel. What can I do to be certain that this is indeed the case?

You need to contact your Sandgate conveyancer. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to advise you what has happened. Where they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the approved list of lawyers for your lender.

Have just purchased a repossessed house at auction in Sandgate. Conveyancing is necessary. What happens now?

Having exchanged you now have to appoint a conveyancing lawyer soon as you are faced with a pending deadline in which to complete the property. Every auction property should have a bespoke auction pack. This should include most,if not all of the paperwork that your solicitor requires. In the case of leasehold property the legal papers may include a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation pertinent to a leasehold property. You need to give this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor ASAP. You also need to ensure that your finances are in order to complete the transaction on the set completion date.

My partner and I have organised the release of further funds on our mortgage from Clydesdale as we want to carry out renovations to our home in Sandgate. Do we need to appoint a local Sandgate solicitor on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Clydesdale would not normally instruct a member of their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Clydesdale panel.

Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Sandgate. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?

Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are resolved very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.

I am purchasing my first flat in Sandgate with the aid of help to buy. The developers would not budge the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The estate agent advised me not to tell my conveyancer about this extras as it may adversely affect my loan with the bank. 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.

My brother has suggested that I instruct his conveyancing solicitors in Sandgate. Should I use them?

There are no two ways about it it’s preferable to find a conveyancing practitioner is to seek recommendations from friends or family who have actually experience in using the solicitor that you are considering.

I am employed by a reputable estate agency in Sandgate where we have witnessed a few leasehold sales derailed due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Sandgate conveyancing solicitors. Can you clarify whether the owner of a flat can start the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

I purchased a garden flat in Sandgate, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Similar properties in Sandgate with over 90 years remaining are worth £202,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £60 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 2081

With 56 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to span between £29,500 and £34,000 plus professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.