Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Wolverton is not identified on my lender's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of her work?

That would more than likely be an incorrect assumption to make. There are plenty of plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should contact the Wolverton conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.

We note that you have a post code search directory listing law firms on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a referral fee if I appoint them for our own conveyancing in Wolverton?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Wolverton.

Various online forums that I have come across warn that are the number one cause of stalling in Wolverton house deals. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the common causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Searches are not likely to be the root cause of slowing down conveyancing in Wolverton.

Given that I will soon spend 450k on 3 bedroom house in Wolverton I wish to have a conversation with the solicitor regarding thetransaction prior to appointing the firm. Can this be arranged?

We could not agree more - we would be happy to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the lawyer due to be carrying out your conveyancing in Wolverton.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is unique individual, not a file number. The practices that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are provided with for residential conveyancing in Wolverton should be the figure that you are charged.

I work for a busy estate agency in Wolverton where we see a number of flat sales derailed as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received inconsistent advice from local Wolverton conveyancing solicitors. Can you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can instigate the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer need not have to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

I purchased a studio flat in Wolverton, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Comparable properties in Wolverton with over 90 years remaining are worth £265,000. The ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2100

With just 76 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £8,600 and £9,800 plus costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.