I am in the process of selling my flat in Burnt Oak and the estate agent has just e-mailed to advise that the purchasers are appointing a new property lawyer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only work with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a leading mortgage company only deal with specific lawyers rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Burnt Oak ?

UK lenders have always had an approved set of law firms they are content to work with, but in the last few years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for many years.

Banks attribute this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise 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 unlikely to have any sway in the decision.

Various web forums that I have visited warn that are a common cause of stalling in Burnt Oak house deals. Is this right?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature within the common causes of delays during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are unlikely to be the root cause of delay in conveyancing in Burnt Oak.

Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Burnt Oak before appointing solicitors. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the house. My surveyor advised that some mortgage companies will not grant a loan on a flying freehold premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different instructions from Birmingham Midshires. If you call us we can investigate further with the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Burnt Oak. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Burnt Oak especially if they are accustomed to such properties in Burnt Oak.

I need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor for freehold conveyancing in Burnt Oak. I happened to stumble upon a web site which looks to be the ideal offering If there is a chance to get all this stuff completed via email that would be preferable. Should I be concerned? What are the potential pitfalls?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

We own a leasehold flat in Burnt Oak. Conveyancing was finished in five years ago. I have read on various advice forums that I should not let the the remaining lease term to get too short. Is this correct?

Burnt Oak domestic long term leases are for a prescribed period - often just under one hundred years when they started. However many appartments in Burnt Oak were constructed or converted 35 or more years ago and so these leases now have under 80 years left to run. That may sound like plenty of time but Banks, Building Societies and other mortgage institutions tend to require leases to have at least seventy five years remaining to adequate security. This means that when you come to sell the property you will need to extend the term of your lease if you are nearing seventy five years. To enhance your property value you should be thinking about whether to extend your lease well in advance of selling the property. You should note that there are significant benefits to taking action before the lease reaches even 80 years as when the lease is below eighty years the premium you have to pay to extend starts to get a lot more expensive.