Me and my partner are purchasing a 1 bedroom apartment in Worcester with a mortgage. We like our Worcester lawyer, but the lender advise he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel firms or retain our Worcester solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. This feels very unfair; are we not able to insist that the lender use our Worcester conveyancing practitioner ?

Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’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. A further alternative is for your Worcester conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

I am helping my niece sell her house in Worcester. Does the solicitor order an energy performance certificate or it is for the seller to see to?

Following the abolition of Home Packs, energy performance certificates remained a required component of selling a house. An energy assessment should be commissioned in advance of the property being put on the market. This is not something that law firms normally arrange. Where you are instructing a Worcester conveyancing practitioner they may be able to arrange EPC’s given their contacts with long established Worcester energy assessors

I had a mortgage agreed in principle with Yorkshire BS. Worcester conveyancing practitioners were appointed. How long does it take for Yorkshire BS to forward the offer to the lawyer?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have Yorkshire BS completed the survey? Have you informed Yorkshire BS as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Worcester. I have a mortgage agreed with Principality. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Principality, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Principality conveyancing panel.

I am purchasing my first flat in Worcester with a mortgage from Birmingham Midshires. The developers refused to move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The sale representative suggested that I not reveal to my lawyer about this side-deal as it could affect my loan with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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.

We are 3 weeks into a freehold purchase having been recommend to conveyancers by the estate agent to carry out the conveyancing in Worcester. I am am starting to be disappointed with the level of service. Could you help me find new solicitors?

A solicitor would need to be very poor to suggest replacing them. Has the loan offer been issued? If so you need to make them aware of the replacement lawyer and get the offer are re-sent. Your new solicitor ideally should be on the lenders approved list to avoid escalating charges and delays. So that should be your starting point. The find a solicitor tool should assist you in finding a bank approved lawyer for your conveyancing in Worcester

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Worcester. Before I get started I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and 99.9% are in Worcester - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I purchased a basement flat in Worcester, conveyancing was carried out in 1999. How much will my lease extension cost? Similar properties in Worcester with over 90 years remaining are worth £195,000. The ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease expires on 21st October 2087

With only 63 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £16,200 and £18,600 plus costs.

The suggested premium range 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 without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.