My husband and I are purchasing a 2 bedroom apartment in Shepshed with a mortgage. We have a Shepshed lawyer, however the bank says she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel solicitors or continue with our Shepshed lawyer and pay for one of their panel lawyers to represent them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. 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. A further alternative is for your Shepshed conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our property are lost. The solicitors who conducted the conveyancing in Shepshed 5 years ago no longer exist. What are my next steps?

In today’s world there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your solicitor will be aware exactly where to locate all the relevant documentation so you may purchase or sell your house without any difficulty. Where duplicates can’t be found, your conveyancer can arrange cover in the form of insurance or indemnities against future claims on the property.

I need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor for remortgage conveyancing in Shepshed. I've land on a web site which looks to be the ideal solution If it is possible to get all formalities completed via phone that would be ideal. Do I need to be wary? What are the potential pitfalls?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

I have just appointed agents to market my basement flat in Shepshed. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, however I have just received a half-yearly service charge invoice – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear the service charge as normal because all ground rent and maintenance charges will be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

Shepshed Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should consider before buying

In the main the outlay for major works tend not to be incorporated into the service charges, albeit that there some managing agents in Shepshed ask tenants to pay into a reserve fund created for the specific intention of building a fund for larger works. Most Shepshed leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service charge for the upkeep of the block invoiced on behalf of the management company. Where you acquire the property you will have to pay this charge, usually quarterly during the year. This could differ from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large common areas. In all probability there will be a rentcharge for you to pay yearly, this is usually not a significant figure, say approximately £50-£100 but you should to check it because occasionally it could be surprisingly expensive. The best form of lease structure is if the freehold interest is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this situation the tenants enjoy being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is frequently retained if it is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders.

A conveyancing firm dealt with my conveyancing in Shepshed half a dozen years ago having retained my title documents but has since been shut down – how do I get hold of these?

Title deeds, as such, are no longer appropriate for the majority of properties in Shepshed are recorded electronically at Land Registry. Where you need to prove evidence of proprietorship or are disposing of or refinancing your conveyancing practitioner should obtain up to date copies of the register from the Land Registry in any case.

If you feel there may be other documents or you have any other queries please e-mail your request with details of the transaction and documents you need to filerequest@clc-uk.org. The CLC will let you know what information they have and any additional information they may need before they are in a position to identify and send the documents to you. Following an intervention it may take some time for the CLC to access archived files and documents, but your request will be actioned with reasonable haste.