My fiance and I are hoping to acquire a house in Bloxham and are in fact using a Bloxham conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Norwich and Peterborough Building Society have this evening contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Bloxham lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?

When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is usual for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your mortgage company and see 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 the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Bloxham lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

Can you explain why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Bloxham costs more?

Bloxham leasehold conveyancing transactions usually involve additional investigations than freeholds including investigating the Lease, liaising with the Landlord such as serving applicable notices on the Landlord or managing agent, obtaining up-to-date service charge and management information, obtaining Landlord’s consents and reviewing management accounts and formation documents.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in last month in what was supposed to be a quick, no chain conveyancing. Bloxham is where the house is located. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Bloxham are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Bloxham you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Bloxham may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.

My husband and I are 17 days into a residential purchase having been referred to conveyancers by the high street agent to do our conveyancing in Bloxham. We are not happy. Could you you assist me in finding new solicitors?

They would have to be very poor to suggest changing them. Has the mortgage been generated? If so you will need to inform them of the new contact details and get the offer are re-issued. Your new conveyancer should be on the banks approved list to avoid supplemental costs and complications. So that should be your first question of the new lawyers. Our search tool can help you find a bank approved lawyer for your home move in Bloxham

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

Notwithstanding that your last Bloxham conveyancing lawyer is no longer available you can review your lease to check if you are permitted to let out the property. The accepted inference is that if the deeds are non-specific, subletting is allowed. There may be a precondition that you are obliged to obtain consent via your landlord or other appropriate person in advance of subletting. The net result is that you cannot sublet without prior permission. Such consent must not not be unreasonably withheld. If the lease prohibits you from subletting the property you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

I own a 2 bed flat in Bloxham, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Equivalent flats in Bloxham with over 90 years remaining are worth £191,000. The ground rent is £55 per annum. The lease ceases on 21st October 2078

With only 54 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £31,400 and £36,200 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.