We wanted to use a conveyancing solicitor in Yeovil for our house purchase. Our broker informed us that our mortgage lenders Halifax won't deal with them. Why is this not regarded as unduly restrictive?

A lender will direct that an approved conveyancer act for it. You would be expected to bear the cost of this. Try using our search facility to select a solicitor to carry conveyancing in Yeovil on the Halifax member panel.

My partner and I have arranged a further advance on our mortgage from Nottingham as we want to conduct improvements to our house in Yeovil. Do we need to choose a high street Yeovil solicitor on the Nottingham conveyancing panel to handle the paperwork?

Nottingham don't usually require firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Nottingham conveyancing panel.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Yeovil. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. HSBC have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

As you are obtaining a mortgage with HSBC your lawyer must check the formal requirements set out in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for HSBC. The CML Handbook contains minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to HSBC where a lease does not comply with these provisions. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not restricted to Yeovil.

It is not clear whether my mortgage offer requires a lease extension. I have called into my local Yeovil building society branch on a couple of occasions and was advised it wasn't a problem and they would lend. My Yeovil conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- called and was told they would not lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. I simply don't know who is right.

As long as the solicitor is on the mortgage company panel, they must adhere to the CML Handbook specifications for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

Given that I am about to spend 450k on a garden flat in Yeovil I would like to have a conversation with the conveyancer about myhouse move in advance of giving the go ahead to the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

This is something that we encourage - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you speaking to the conveyancer who will be conducting your property ownership legalities in Yeovil.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is unique person, not a file reference. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are quoted for residential conveyancing in Yeovil should be the amount on the final invoice that you end up paying.

Looking forward to complete next month on a leasehold property in Yeovil. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they will have a report out to me on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

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

The landlord’s rights to access the premises. You should be made aware that your landlord has rights of access as well as be informed how much notice must be provided. Information concerning the obligations as set out in the lease to to contribute towards maintenance costs - with regard to both the building, and the more general rights a tenant enjoys Alterations to the premises Where does the liability rest for maintaining the window frames Rent payments - what is payable and when is collected, and also know whether this will change in the future

I invested in buying a garden flat in Yeovil, conveyancing formalities finalised April 2005. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Yeovil with an extended lease are worth £185,000. The ground rent is £65 charged once a year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2085

With just 60 years unexpired the likely cost is going to span between £20,000 and £23,000 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.

We have had DIP from The Royal Bank of Scotland who have advised that they will lend up to £300k. When do we need to appoint a solicitor for conveyancing? Yeovil is where we plan to move to.

You can appoint a conveyancing practitioner now requesting that they open a file for you. This will enable: 1) the selling agent to send out the Sales Memo to all parties 2) the seller’s conveyancing practitioner to submit the draft paperwork. However, do not ask your conveyancing practitioner to start searches until you have your valuation report from The Royal Bank of Scotland and you are happy to proceed.