Me and my fiance are purchasing a 2 bedroom apartment in Bedfordshire with a mortgage. We would like to retain our Bedfordshire conveyancer, however the lender advise he's not on their "panel". It appears that we have little option but to select one of the bank panel solicitors or keep our Bedfordshire solicitor and pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. This seems very unfair; are we not able to demand that the bank use our Bedfordshire solicitor ?

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. Another option that might be available is for your Bedfordshire conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

I own a freehold premises in Bedfordshire but still charged rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Bedfordshire and has limited impact for conveyancing in Bedfordshire but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.

Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges have existed for many centuries, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the creation of fresh rentcharges post 1977.

Old rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence post 2037 will be dispensed with completely.

I have paid off my mortgage with Nationwide. I assume I don't need a Bedfordshire solicitor on the Nationwide panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your Nationwide mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Nationwide mortgage from the register. Nationwide, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Nationwide has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Nationwide has instructed the Land Registry to do so

The mortgage over my property is with Nationwide for my property in Bedfordshire. Conveyancing has been completed a year ago. In the event that I decide to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Nationwide?

Nationwide must be informed of your intention prior to renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Nationwide’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 Nationwide directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Nationwide conveyancing panel firm.

I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Bedfordshire. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £200. A couple of days later, the property lawyer called me to say that they were not on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Virgin Money panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

My husband and I are a couple of weeks into a leasehold purchase having been referred to a firm by the estate agent to perform conveyancing in Bedfordshire. We are not happy. Can you help me find new lawyers?

They would have to be really bad to suggest changing them. Has your loan offer been sent? If so you will need to inform them of the replacement solicitor and have the offer are re-issued. The solicitor ideally needs to be on the lenders approved list to avoid escalating charges and complications. That should be your first question of the new conveyancers. Our search tool can help you find a lender approved solicitor for your conveyancing in Bedfordshire

I have just started marketing my basement apartment in Bedfordshire. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, however I have just received a yearly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge the invoice as usual because all ground rent and maintenance payments should be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I am the registered owner of a basement flat in Bedfordshire, conveyancing having been completed 9 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Comparable flats in Bedfordshire with over 90 years remaining are worth £201,000. The ground rent is £45 yearly. The lease expires on 21st October 2089

With only 65 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £13,300 and £15,400 plus legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.