I am selling my home in Brierley Hill and the estate agent has just e-mailed to say that the purchasers are appointing a new property lawyer. The reason given is that the bank will only engage with property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a big named lender only work with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in Brierley Hill ?

Banks have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in recent years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for over 25 years.

Mortgage companies blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms 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. The purchasers are not going to have any impact on this.

My home in Brierley Hill is up for sale and I have a buyer. Will the property lawyer need to be required to be on the RBS conveyancing panel in order to deal with redeeming my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the RBS conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their specifications fairly frequently in recent years.

I'm buying a new build house in Brierley Hill with a mortgage from Accord Mortgages Ltd. The sellers refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The estate agent advised me not inform my conveyancer about the deal as it may put at risk my mortgage with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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.

Given that I will soon spend £400,000 on a terraced house in Brierley Hill I wish to have a conversation with the lawyer regarding thehouse move before giving the go ahead to the firm. Can this be arranged?

Absolutely - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the lawyer who will be conducting your conveyancing in Brierley Hill.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is an important person, not a matter number. The law firms that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are quoted for your conveyancing in Brierley Hill should be the figure that you end up paying.

I have just appointed agents to market my 2 bed flat in Brierley Hill. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, but I have recently had a half-yearly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear the invoice as usual given that all rents and service charges should be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, 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 management companies 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 am the registered owner of a ground floor flat in Brierley Hill, conveyancing formalities finalised November 2007. How much will my lease extension cost? Corresponding flats in Brierley Hill with an extended lease are worth £197,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease finishes on 21st October 2081

With just 56 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £29,500 and £34,000 as well as costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.