Me and my fiance are buying a 1 bedroom apartment in Shirenewton with a mortgage. We have a Shirenewton lawyer, but the mortgage company says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel conveyancing practices or keep our Shirenewton conveyancing practitioner as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. We consider that this is inequitable; can we not insist that the mortgage company use our Shirenewton conveyancer ?

No, not really. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’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 Shirenewton conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

A relative suggested that if I am buying in Shirenewton I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Shirenewton conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and setting out important information about Shirenewton around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Shirenewton Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Shirenewton.

I'm buying a new build house in Shirenewton with a mortgage from Aldermore. The builders would not reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The house builders rep advised me not inform my conveyancer about this extras as it would adversely affect my mortgage 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 husband and I are one month into a residential purchase having been referred to conveyancers by the local agent to perform conveyancing in Shirenewton. I am am extremely disappointed with the quality of service. Can you help me find new solicitors?

They would have to be really bad in order to consider changing them. Has the mortgage offer been generated? If so you will need to make them aware of the new contact details and ensure the loan are re-sent. The conveyancer should be on the banks approved list to avoid supplemental charges and complications. So that should be your first question of the new solicitors. Our search tool can help you find a lender approved conveyancer for your conveyancing in Shirenewton

I would like to let out my leasehold apartment in Shirenewton. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Is permission from the freeholder required?

Even though your last Shirenewton conveyancing lawyer is no longer around you can check your lease to see if you are permitted to let out the premises. The rule is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is permitted. There may be a precondition that you need to obtain permission from your landlord or some other party prior to subletting. The net result is you not allowed to sublet in the absence of first obtaining permission. Such consent is not allowed to be unreasonably turned down. If your lease prohibits you from letting out the property you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

I acquired a garden flat in Shirenewton, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2007. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Shirenewton with a long lease are worth £202,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 invoiced every year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2080

With only 56 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £29,500 and £34,000 plus costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.