My financial adviser says he needs my Birmingham solicitor’s panel member for the Santander conveyancing panel. What is the best way to obtain this. I have called my local Birmingham office but they have not got back to me yet.

The sensible thing to do is ask for this information from your Birmingham . They retain a central record lender panel numbers.

How does conveyancing in Birmingham differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Birmingham contact us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is built. This is because house builders in Birmingham typically buy the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Birmingham or who has acted in the same development.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and found one round the corner in Birmingham I like with amenity areas and station nearby, however it's only got 61 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Birmingham in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you may ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this matter.

I was advised by a few estate agents in Birmingham to select a conveyancer using your seach tool. Is there a financial advantage for Estate Agents to offer your services ahead of a competitor’s?

We don’t offer any referral fee for directing people our way. We found it would be just too difficult a fee as a client could think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.

I invested in buying a studio flat in Birmingham, conveyancing formalities finalised in 1995. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Equivalent properties in Birmingham with a long lease are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 50

With only 50 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £36,100 and £41,800 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.