We wish to acquire a 3 bedroom flat in Canterbury with a loan from Santander.We like our Canterbury conveyancing lawyer but Santander informed us her practice is not on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to instruct a Santander panel lawyer or keep our preferred solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. The mortgage issued to you contains various provisions, a common one being that conveyancers needs to be on the Santander conveyancing panel. in the past, most mortgage companies had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could find one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Santander

Is it the case that all Canterbury CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel?

A selection of banks and building societies now use the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to join their approved list of firms.

I had a mortgage agreed in principle with Barclays. Canterbury conveyancing practitioners have been appointed. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Barclays?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have Barclays done the survey? Have you informed Barclays as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Barclays conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

Co-operative have agreed my home loan in principle, my offer on a house in Canterbury has been agreed to, what happens next?

The property agent will want to know who your solicitors are (ensure that the solicitors are on the bank’s panel). Telephone Co-operative or your financial adviser and finalise any appropriate paperwork. Co-operative will sellect a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or owners to arrange an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes on average a fortnight for the mortgage offer to be issued. Co-operative will issue the offer to you and your solicitors. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Canterbury.

Should commercial conveyancing searches disclose impending roadworks that could affect a commercial estate in Canterbury?

Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in Canterbury will carry out a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers invest in sourcing accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Canterbury. The search result provides definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Canterbury.

For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Canterbury it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately may cause delays to Canterbury commercial conveyancing transactions as well as pose a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not ordered for residential conveyancing in Canterbury.

How does conveyancing in Canterbury differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Canterbury contact us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is constructed. This is because house builders in Canterbury usually acquire the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Canterbury or who has acted in the same development.

I have just appointed agents to market my basement apartment in Canterbury. Conveyancing has not commenced, but I have just received a half-yearly service charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge the invoice as you normally would as all ground rent and maintenance charges will be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I am the registered owner of a leasehold flat in Canterbury, conveyancing was carried out 10 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Similar flats in Canterbury with an extended lease are worth £186,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced every year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2076

You have 52 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £29,500 and £34,000 as well as legals.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.