I am in the process of remortgaging my house in Blackwood, does my lawyer have to be on the Bank of Ireland Solicitor panel?

In theory, you could use a solicitor that is not on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel, but Bank of Ireland would require one of their panel solicitors to be instructed to act in their interests, and you'd have to pay for this - so most people instruct a panel solicitor. It's also easier, as otherwise you'd have to deal with two solicitors for the same transaction.

We were going to get a OIP from Clydesdale this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Clydesdale recommend any Blackwood solicitors on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

You will need to appoint Blackwood solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Clydesdale through the process.

I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in January 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Santander are being difficult. The Blackwood solicitor who is on the Santander conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Santander are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Santander have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Santander have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Santander may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Blackwood conveyancer having checked that they are on the UBS conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

UBS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually UBS will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your conveyancing practitioner will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Blackwood postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with UBS, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Blackwood.

Should I choose a Blackwood conveyancing solicitor who is local to the property I am purchasing? We have a good friend who can carry out the conveyancing however her office is approximately 350kilometers away.

The benefit of a local Blackwood conveyancing firm is that you can pop in to execute paperwork, present your ID and apply pressure on them where appropriate. They will also have local knowledge which is a plus. That being said it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If you know people who used your friend and on the whole were impressed that must outweigh using an unfamiliar Blackwood conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being round the corner.

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Blackwood. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

If the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Blackwood - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I invested in buying a studio flat in Blackwood, conveyancing was carried out 8 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Corresponding flats in Blackwood with a long lease are worth £175,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 per annum. The lease ceases on 21st October 2081

With only 58 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £23,800 and £27,400 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. 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. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

Myself and my husband have recently had an offer agreed on a property and had an appointment on Friday with HSBC for the mortgage. They advised us that when it comes to choosing a property lawyer that unless they are on their approved list of property lawyers then we will incur an extra charge of £250+. This is is due to the fact that they will then have to select a property lawyer to act for them as well as the one we choose to act for ourselves and we will be on the hook for their fees. I have requested HSBC to provide me with a list so I can request quotes only from their approved solicitors but was told they dont have such a list to hand over. What would be the best way of going about this?

Ask HSBC what their criteria for joining their panel is for a conveyancer.Then ask the lawyer of your choice whether they meet the criteria and have they acted on loans for HSBC historically. Where the answer to those is yes, then just clarify this with HSBC. Another option is to use our search tool and we may be able to identify a property lawyer in Blackwood on the approved list for HSBC.