My wife and I are hoping to acquire a 3 bedroom flat in Hereford with a mortgage. We would like to retain our Hereford conveyancer, however the mortgage company advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel conveyancing practices or keep our Hereford solicitor and pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. We consider that this is inequitable; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose 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. Another option that might be available is for your Hereford conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

We're in Hereford, FTBs buying with a mortgage (lender is Co-operative , and our solicitor is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

Will our solicitor be raising questions about flooding during the conveyancing in Hereford.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers specialising in conveyancing in Hereford. There are those who buy a house in Hereford, fully expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate insurance cover, or dispose of the property. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Conveyancers are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a various checks that may be initiated by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which will figure out the risks in Hereford. The standard completed inquiry forms supplied to a buyer’s solicitor (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) contains a standard inquiry of the owner to determine if the property has historically flooded. If flooding has previously occurred which is not disclosed by the vendor, then a purchaser could bring a claim for damages as a result of such an inaccurate response. A buyer’s conveyancers may also commission an environmental report. This should disclose whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional inquiries should be made.

How does conveyancing in Hereford differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Hereford approach us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is constructed. This is because builders in Hereford typically buy 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in Hereford or who has acted in the same development.

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my garden apartment in Hereford. Conveyancing has not commenced, but I have recently had a half-yearly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should pay the service charge as usual given that all rents and maintenance payments should be allotted on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I invested in buying a leasehold flat in Hereford, conveyancing was carried out September 2003. 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 Hereford with over 90 years remaining are worth £176,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 charged once a year. The lease ends on 21st October 2104

With 80 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £7,600 and £8,800 plus legals.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.