Much to our surprise we have been advised by our financial adviser that my Arundel lawyer is not on the mortgage company Solicitor panel. What can I do to be sure that this is correct?

The first thing you need to do is to contact your Arundel lawyer directly. You lawyer should inform you of the situation. Where they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the approved list of lawyers for your lender.

The mortgage over my property is with Santander for my property in Arundel. Conveyancing was finalised 12 months ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Santander?

Your original mortgage agreement with Santander will provide that you need their approval before letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Santander’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Santander directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Santander conveyancing panel lawyer.

I was told two weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Virgin Money. Is it usual for Virgin Money to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Arundel is approved on their conveyancing panel? Virgin Money have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance Schedule.

Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Virgin Money to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I have finally had an offer on a flat in Arundel accepted, the vendors do nevertheless have an associated purchase. The owners have placed an offer on on an apartment, however it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other properties in the pipeline. I have instructed a local conveyancing solicitor in Arundel. What do I do now? At what point do I apply for the mortgage with Coventry BS?

It is normal to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (home loan application is in the region of £1k, then valuation, Arundel conveyancing search costs, etc). First, you should check that your solicitor is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. As to the next stages this very much depends on the uniqueness of your case, attraction to the property and on the state of the market. In a rising market some purchasers would apply for a home loan with Coventry BS and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they ask their property lawyer to move forward with searches.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I have offered on last month in what should have been a simple, chain free conveyancing. Arundel is where the house is located. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Arundel are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Arundel you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Arundel may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.

I am looking for a conveyancing solicitor in Arundel for my remortgage. Can I review a firm’s complaints history with the profession’s regulator?

One can see documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations stemming from investigations started on or after 1 January 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For records Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors record, ring 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. International callers, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator sometimes recorded telephone calls for training purposes.

I am a negotiator for a busy estate agency in Arundel where we have experienced a few flat sales derailed as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received contradictory information from local Arundel conveyancing firms. Could you confirm whether the vendor of a flat can initiate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

As long as the seller has been the owner 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. The benefit of this is 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 prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord 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 purchaser.

I acquired a studio flat in Arundel, conveyancing was carried out in 2012. How much will my lease extension cost? Corresponding properties in Arundel with a long lease are worth £190,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 yearly. The lease expires on 21st October 2086

With just 61 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £19,000 and £22,000 plus costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.