I can't travel far from Sheldon. I would like to know the logic why all Sheldon conveyancing practitioners are not on all mortgage company panels?

Banks point to the fact that solicitor-led fraud is thought to be responsible for millions of pounds of fraud every year.The dismissal of law firms off of lender panels started with the rise in mortgage fraud, which prompted a thematic review by the Financial Services Authority in 2011. Its conclusions included recommendations for lenders to review their conveyancing panels, which kicked off a major policy change in the sector. This led to banks and building societies culling less reputable firms off their official list of approved solicitors .

Our grandson is about to exchange on a house that has just been built in Sheldon with a mortgage from HSBC. His conveyancer has advised him of a delay in receiving the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. Who needs to receive the form?

The form is intended to provide information to the main parties engaged in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the HSBC conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the valuer when requested. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the HSBC conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £305k and found one round the corner in Sheldon I like with open areas and railway links nearby, however it only has 52 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Sheldon for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be problematic. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this.

My father has urged me to instruct his conveyancing solicitors in Sheldon. Should I choose my own solicitor?

There are no two ways about it it’s preferable to choose a conveyancing practitioner is to seek recommendations from friends or family who have used the solicitor you're contemplating using.

There are a number of properties in Sheldon on private lanes. My husband and I are buying such a house. Are there any advantages to buying a residence on a privately owned road?

Sheldon conveyancing firms are well versed in transacting homeson unadopted roads. The conveyancing practitioner should investigate Land Registry data to find any rights or liabilities. In many cases there is a management company (wholly owned by residents) that proprietors pay into to maintain the road. Where one exists, the road should be maintained and look nicer than council maintained.