My fiance and I are looking to acquire a house in Sandiacre and have instructed a Sandiacre conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Britannia have this afternoon contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Sandiacre lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. Is this a problem?

If you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Sandiacre lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.

Can the conveyancing lawyers that you recommend handle conveyancing in Sandiacre by way of an attended exchange?

We do have a number of conveyancing specialists carrying out attended exchanges. Please e-mail us to obtain a fee calculation and details as to dates.

After researching online forums for a recommended lawyer in Sandiacre, most comment that I must use a CQS accredited solicitor. Can you explain what CQS is?

Sandiacre Conveyancing Quality Scheme practices have obtained certification under the Law Society's Scheme (CQS) The Law Society established CQS to establish evidence of quality standards in the home buying process. CQS enables consumers to identify solicitor firms that provide a quality residential conveyancing. Sandiacre is one of locations in England and Wales in which accredited firms have offices. The scheme requires practices to undergo a strict assessment, compulsory training, self-reporting, random audits and annual reviews in order to maintain CQS status. It is available to solicitors and not licensed conveyancers and has the support of the Legal Ombudsman.

Given that I am about to part with over three hundred thousand on a terraced house in Sandiacre I wish to talk to a lawyer concerning theconveyancing before giving the go ahead to the firm. Can this be arranged?

This is something that we recommend - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you speaking to the solicitor who will be doing your conveyancing in Sandiacre.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is an important individual, not a case reference. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are provided with for your conveyancing in Sandiacre should be the figure that you end up paying.

I've found a house that appears to be perfect, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have since discovered that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns purchasing a leasehold house in Sandiacre. Conveyancing solicitors have are soon to be instructed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Sandiacre are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are purchasing in Sandiacre in which case you should be shopping around for a Sandiacre conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as obtaining the landlord’spermission to carry out changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will advise you fully on all the issues.

I inherited a studio flat in Sandiacre, conveyancing having been completed August 2011. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Sandiacre with over 90 years remaining are worth £185,000. The ground rent is £65 invoiced annually. The lease terminates on 21st October 2085

With only 60 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £20,000 and £23,000 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. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.