We were just about to exchange contracts for a property in St Albans. We encountered a problem. Our mortgage offer with Norwich and Peterborough Building Society runs out on 1/7/2024 but the owners are insisting on a completion date of 3/7/2024. Is it possible to extend the loan expiry date?

The best person to deal with your concern is your conveyancer who is in a position to determine if he or she is corresponding with the bank, owner’s representatives, estate agents or indeed all parties based on what has happend in your transaction as of today.

I have been advised by a couple of local selling agents in St Albans to choose a conveyancer using your seach tool. Is there a financial inducement for Estate Agents to market your services over and above another?

We refuse to give any commission for directing people to this site. We found it would be just too difficult to pay a commission because members of the public would think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.

In searching the internet for the phrase cheap conveyancing in St Albans it brings up numerous conveyancersin the vicinity. How do I determine which is the suitable conveyancing solicitor for purchase transaction?

The preferential method of seeking a suitable conveyancer is via trusted testimonial, so seek the guidance of friends and relatives who have bought a property in St Albans or the respected estate agent or mortgage broker. Costs for conveyancing in St Albans differ, so it's a good idea to request at least four fee calculations from different solicitors. Be sure to obtain confirmation that the charges are assured not to escalate.

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in St Albans from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in St Albans can be reduced if you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ representatives.
Many landlords or managing agents in St Albans charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most usual reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in St Albans. Some St Albans leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors. If you have had conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where there is a current dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic rather than ongoing.

I bought a studio flat in St Albans, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable flats in St Albans with an extended lease are worth £216,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 charged once a year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2094

With only 70 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

My son is just in the process of moving home, the home loan was agreed last week in principle. One the offer was accepted on apartment we telephoned the bank to issue the formal offer. We were disappointed to learn that mortgage lenders do not accept all conveyancing practitioner, they must be on their panel, is this right?

Mortgage Companies tend to imposes restrictions either the type or the number of conveyancing solicitors on their panel. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that banks have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any St Albans property lawyer on their panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, conveyancing is not their speciality. To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime? Presumably not.