I can't travel far from Bedford. Can you please clarify why all Bedford property lawyers aren't included on all bank panels?

Lenders normally restrict either the nature or the number of conveyancing firms on their approved list of lawyers. A common example of such restriction(s) being that the organisation must have at least two partners. As well as restricting the type of firm, some have made a decision to reduce the number of conveyancers they allow to represent them. You should note that banks have no liability for the quality of conveyancing provided by any Bedford conveyancer on their panel. Property fraud was the primary trigger for the reduction of conveyancing panels in the last decade even though there are contrary views about whether solicitors sat at the center of that fraud. Data via the Land Registry indicates that thousands of conveyancing firms only transact a couple of conveyances a year. Those vindicating conveyancing panel pruning question why law firms deserve claim to be listed on a lender panel when clearly property law is not their primary expertise?

We note that you have a search directory listing solicitors on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a commission if I instruct them for our conveyancing in Bedford?

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

Have purchased a a terraced house in Bedford , how long should it take for the Land Registry to register my ownership? My Bedford conveyancing solicitor works at snail pace, so I want to be certain that my name is registered.

As far as conveyancing in Bedford is concerned, registration is no faster or slower than the rest of the country. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can differ subject to who lodges the application, whether there are errors and whether the Land registry need to notify any interested persons or bodies. As of today approximately 80% of submission are fully dealt with within 12 days but some can be subject to protracted delays. Historically registration takes place once the purchaser is living at the property therefore registration formalities is not typically an essential issue yet if there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your lawyers can communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.

I am employed by a busy estate agency in Bedford where we see a number of leasehold sales jeopardised due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Bedford conveyancing solicitors. Please can you clarify whether the seller of a flat can start the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

As long as the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer can avoid having to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

Alternatively, it may be possible 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 purchaser.

I bought a leasehold flat in Bedford, conveyancing formalities finalised August 2001. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Equivalent properties in Bedford with a long lease are worth £185,000. The ground rent is £65 invoiced every year. The lease expires on 21st October 2084

You have 60 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to range between £20,000 and £23,000 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. You should 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. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.

My wife and I are purchasing a garden flat in Bedford. When we first instructed conveyancer, they assured us that they were on all mainstream mortgage company panels. The mortgage broker contacted us yesterday to say that they are not on the Lloyds approved list. If it turns out to be true, what should we do? Do we just pick a new property lawyer that is on their approved list or should we pay for separate representation, with Lloyds appointing their own preferred lawyer.

If you are purchasing a property requiring a mortgage it is usual for the buyer’s solicitors to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a conveyancing practitioner has to be on that lender's list of approved lawyers. 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 lawyer has to meet. Some building societies now insist their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should contact Lloyds to discover if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on Lloyds's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Bedford lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.