We are looking to buy a flat and need a conveyancing solicitor in Spitalfields who is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. Can you recommend a local solicitor?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Leeds Building Society . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Spitalfields.

I had a mortgage agreed in principle with HSBC. Spitalfields conveyancing solicitors have been chosen. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from HSBC?

There is no definitive answer here. Have HSBC conducted the valuation? Have you advised HSBC as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the HSBC conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

We were going to get a DIP from Yorkshire BS this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Yorkshire BS recommend any Spitalfields solicitors on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

You will need to appoint Spitalfields solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Yorkshire BS through the process.

The mortgage over my property is with Principality for my property in Spitalfields. Conveyancing was finalised months ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Principality?

Principality must be informed of your intention before renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Principality’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Principality will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Principality directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Principality conveyancing panel solicitor.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and identified one round the corner in Spitalfields I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 49 years on the lease. There is not much else in Spitalfields for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be an issue. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you could ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.

I am hoping to exchange soon on a basement flat in Spitalfields. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they will have a report out to me within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Spitalfields should include some of the following:

Does the lease prohibit wood flooring? You should have a good understanding of the insurance obligations Who has the liability to repair and maintain the block. It is essential that you know who is responsible the repair and maintenance of every part of the building Will you be prohibited or prevented from having pets in the property?

Having spent months of negotiations we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Spitalfields. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Spitalfields conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Spitalfields flat is 1-41 Royal Tower Lodge 40 Cartwright Street in April 2013. the tribunal adding the agreed value of capitalised ground rents and the reversion the price to be paid for the freehold was £1,187,000 This case related to 41 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 107 years.

My husband and I are acquiring a first floor flat in Spitalfields. When we first instructed conveyancing practitioner, they said that they were on all mainstream mortgage company panels. Our financial adviser contacted us today to advise that they are not on the Yorkshire BS approved list. Should that be true, what should we do? Do we simply find a new solicitor that is on their panel or should we cover the costs for dual representation, with Yorkshire BS selecting their own preferred conveyancing practitioner.

When buying a property with mortgage finance it is usual for the purchaser’s solicitors to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a property lawyer has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the conveyancer to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the property lawyer has to meet. Some banks now require their panel firms to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your conveyancing practitioner should contact Yorkshire BS to discover 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 Yorkshire BS's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Spitalfields lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another solicitor into the equation.