My husband and I are refinancing our apartment in Selsey with Clydesdale. We have a son approaching twenty who lives with us. Our solicitor has asked us to disclose any adults other than ourselves who reside at the property. Our lawyer has now e-mailed a document for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the apartment is repossessed. I have two questions (1) Is this form unique to the Clydesdale conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we purchased 5 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this giving up his rights to inherit the property?

First, rest assured that your Clydesdale conveyancing panel solicitor is doing the right thing as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Clydesdale. This is solely used to protect Clydesdale if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Clydesdale had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

As someone with no idea as to conveyancing in Selsey what’s the number one tip you can impart concerning the legal transfer of property in Selsey

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Selsey and elsewhere in West Sussex is an adversarial experience. In other words, when it comes to conveyancing there is plenty of room for conflict between you and others involved in the legal transfer of property. For example, the seller, property agent and even potentially the bank. Appointing a solicitor for your conveyancing in Selsey should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONLY party in the process whose responsibility is to look after your best interests and to protect you.

We are witnessing a worrying ongoing adversarial element to conveyancing- someone must be at fault for the process being so protracted. You should always trust your conveyancer above all other players when it comes to the legal assignment of property.

Can you point me to a directory of Clydesdale panel conveyancers in Selsey on the Council of Mortgage Lender’s Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such tool on the CML or Building Society Association websites. Very few lenders make their panel listings viewable on the web. If you are in need of a Selsey conveyancing practitioner on the Clydesdale please use our facility.

I can not work out if my lender obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called my Selsey building society branch on a couple of occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they would lend. My Selsey conveyancing solicitor - who is on the lender conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told they will not lend based on their specific requirements. I simply don't know who is right.

Your property lawyer must follow the CML Handbook section two provisions for your lender. 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 mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

I am selling my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in October 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Yorkshire BS are being pedantic. The Selsey solicitor who is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Yorkshire BS are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Yorkshire BS have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Yorkshire BS have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Yorkshire BS may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

What does commercial conveyancing in Selsey cover?

Commercial conveyancing in Selsey incorporates a broad range of advice, provided by qualified solicitors, relating to business property. By way of example, this area of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more usually, the transfer of existing leases or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial loans and the termination of tenancies.

I am employed by a long established estate agency in Selsey where we see a number of leasehold sales derailed as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received inconsistent advice from local Selsey conveyancing firms. Could you confirm whether the seller of a flat can start the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or at the same time as 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 buyer.

I acquired a split level flat in Selsey, conveyancing was carried out September 1997. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar flats in Selsey with an extended lease are worth £265,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease ceases on 21st October 2099

With just 75 years left to run the likely cost is going to be between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as legals.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.