I am nearing exchange of contracts for my maisonette in Aylsham and the EA has just called to warn that the purchasers are swapping conveyancer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only engage with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a major lender only engage with specific lawyers rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in Aylsham ?

Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms that can represent them, but in the past few years big names such as HSBC, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for many years.

Mortgage companies point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are unlikely to have any impact on this.

We wanted to use a conveyancing solicitor in Aylsham for our house move. Our broker has since notified us that our mortgage lenders Coventry Building Society won't deal with them. Surely this is unduly restrictive?

Lenders ordinarily restrict either the type or the volume of conveyancing practices on their panel. A common example of such restriction(s) being that a firm must not be a sole practitioner. As well as restricting the type of firm, some have reduced the number of firms they allow to represent them. Be aware that Coventry Building Society have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Coventry Building Society Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a primary driver in the reduction of conveyancing panels since 2008 even though there remains mixed opinions about the level of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that hundreds of law firms, including some in or near Aylsham only execute a couple conveyances a year.

I am purchasing a new build house in Aylsham benefiting from help to buy. The developers would not move on the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep advised me not to tell my conveyancer about the deal as it may adversely affect my mortgage with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

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.

I have recently realised that I have 72 years remaining on my flat in Aylsham. I now wish to extend my lease but my freeholder is can not be found. What should I do?

On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be lengthened by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you have used your best endeavours to find the freeholder. In some cases a specialist should be helpful to try and locate and to produce an expert document to be used as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to proving the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Aylsham.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Aylsham - A selection of Questions you should ask before buying

Does the lease include onerous restrictions? Please note if it is less than 80 years it will have adverse implications on the value of the apartment. Check with your mortgage company that they are content with residual term of the lease. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of how much this would cost. For most Aylshamlease extensions you will need to own the property for a couple of years before you are legally able to extend the lease. Is there a share of the freehold?

Builders have put forward a lawyer and I've sought a quote from them. They are almost £250 less expensive than my preferred Aylsham conveyancing practitioner. What's the catch?

Developers often have panels of conveyancers who expedite matters and who know the builder's contract and lawyer. As many developers offer an inducement to choose their approved lawyer for this reason, any increased cost can be avoided and a builder will not suggest a conveyancing warehouse and run the risk of having the transaction stall when they require an exchange within a tight time frame. A counter-argument for not agreeing to use the suggested solicitor is that they may be unwilling to 'push' your interests for fear of alienating the developer. Where you have concerns that this may be the situation you should keep with your high street Aylsham property lawyer.