We are intending to purchase a 3 bedroom flat in Woburn with a mortgage. We like our Woburn lawyer, however the lender advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel conveyancing practices or continue with our Woburn property lawyer and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. We consider that this is inequitable; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer 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 Woburn conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

I'm buying a new build house in Woburn with a loan from Britannia. The developers refused to move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The sale representative suggested that I not disclose to my solicitor about the side-deal as it will impact my loan with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in Woburn I like with open areas and station nearby, however it only has 52 years on the lease. There is not much else in Woburn for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?

Should you need a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be problematic. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.

We're new to the buying process - had an offer accepted, but the selling agent informed us that the vendor will only go ahead if we instruct the agent's preferred lawyers as they want an ‘expedited deal’. We would rather use a local conveyancer who is familiar with conveyancing in Woburn

It is improbable the sellers are behind this. Should the owner require ‘a quick sale', alienating a genuine buyer is counter productive. Speak to the vendors direct and make sure they understand (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to go, with finances in place © you have nothing to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you will continue to instruct your own,trusted Woburn conveyancing firm - not the ones that will earn the negotiator at the agency a introducer fee or achieve conveyancing thresholds pre-set by senior management.

Last November I purchased a leasehold house in Woburn. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I am the registered owner of a basement flat in Woburn, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. 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? Corresponding properties in Woburn with an extended lease are worth £190,000. The ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease finishes on 21st October 2086

With just 62 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £17,100 and £19,800 as well as professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered 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.