My financial adviser says he needs my Billingham law firm’s panel member for the HSBC conveyancing panel. What is the best way to obtain this. I have called my local Billingham branch but they have not got back to me yet.

Have you tried calling your Billingham lawyer about this?. They should have a central record lender panel numbers.

Can you help? My Billingham lawyer is advising me that he has toconduct Billingham conveyancing searches becausethe firm are on the Santanderapproved lawyer panel. Is this really necessary?

You have limited options available to you. Given that you are taking out a loan with a mortgage company your property lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your conveyancer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your lender’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook specifications . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Billingham conveyancing searches.

I have been told that property searches are the number one reason for delay in Billingham conveyancing transactions. Is that correct?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published conclusions of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the top 10 causes of delays during the legal transfer of property. Searches are not likely to feature in any delay in conveyancing in Billingham.

I’m about to sell my garden apartment in Billingham. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, but I have just had a yearly maintenance charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

The sensible thing to do is clear the maintenance contribution as usual because all ground rent and service invoices will be apportioned on completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until 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 bought a basement flat in Billingham, conveyancing formalities finalised in 1997. How much will my lease extension cost? Similar properties in Billingham with an extended lease are worth £197,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2080

With only 55 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to span between £31,400 and £36,200 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. Do 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 you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.

I have checked your search tool I can't find the lawyer I was hoping to instruct as being on the bank conveyancing panel. My lawyer has said that they are on the bank approved panel. How can I be sure given that they are not listed on your directory?

Not all firms are yet listed on our lender panel search tool which is still relatively new. Law firms are listing on a daily basis and it is probably the case that your lawyer is on the bank conveyancing lawyer and you should probably take them at their word. Please do feel free to suggest that they completing their listing on our site as it would only cost them £1 a month to list themselves as being on the lender solicitor panel.