I was advised recently by my mortgage adviser that my Woodstock solicitor is not on the bank Conveyancing panel. How can I check?

Your first step should be to call your Woodstock lawyer directly. You lawyer should notify you of the situation. If they are not on the panel they may recommend you to a Woodstock conveyancing practice that is on the conveyancing panel for your bank.

I am considering applying for a Lloyds mortgage for purchase of a newly converted (under development) in Woodstock with 65 per cent LTV. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Lloyds ?

In theory, you could use a solicitor that is not on the Lloyds conveyancing panel, but Lloyds would require one of their panel solicitors to be instructed to act in their interests, and you'd have to pay for this - so most people instruct a panel solicitor. It's also easier, as otherwise you'd have to deal with two solicitors for the same transaction.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Woodstock?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Woodstock. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I am looking into buying my first house which is in Woodstock and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Woodstock. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Woodstock area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Woodstock. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Woodstock. Conveyancing and Alliance & Leicester mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1993. The conveyancing solicitor in Woodstock who acted for me is not around. Any advice?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to incur the fees of a Woodstock conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I invested in buying a studio flat in Woodstock, conveyancing formalities finalised 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? Similar properties in Woodstock with a long lease are worth £181,000. The ground rent is £55 per annum. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2074

With only 50 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £31,400 and £36,200 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.