My family lawyer has given a fee calculation of £1700 for leasehold conveyancing in Burghfield Common. I am hoping to sell a newly refurbished property for £225,000. This appears over the top. Is it above the average fee for conveyancing in Burghfield Common?

The charges are a bit high. If you are willing to expend time contrasting costs you may be able to reduce the fees slightly by perhaps £125. On the other hand, you mightlive to rue choosing an an untested lawyer. Don't forget to check that the conveyancer can also act for your mortgage company. Do use our comparison tool to find a Burghfield Common conveyancing company on the lender’s approved list of lawyers which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Burghfield Common.

Please explain the implications if my solicitor is suspended from the RBS Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Burghfield Common?

The first thing to point out is that, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.

I'm purchasing a new build house in Burghfield Common benefiting from help to buy. The builders refused to reduce the price so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The house builders rep advised me not disclose to my conveyancer about this extras as it will adversely affect my mortgage with The Royal Bank of Scotland. Is this normal?.

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

Taking into account that I will soon part with £400,000 on a two bedroom apartment in Burghfield Common I would like to have a conversation with the solicitor concerning thetransaction ahead of giving the go ahead to the firm. Can this be arranged?

We could not agree more - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you liaising with the lawyer who will be doing your conveyancing in Burghfield Common.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is unique person, not a file number. The practices that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are quoted for your conveyancing in Burghfield Common should be the amount on the final invoice that you are charged.

I've recently bought a leasehold house in Burghfield Common. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I purchased a 1 bedroom flat in Burghfield Common, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Comparable flats in Burghfield Common with a long lease are worth £216,000. The ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2093

With only 69 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to range between £9,500 and £11,000 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 investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.