My wife and I are purchasing a 2 bedroom flat in Burwell with a mortgage. We like our Burwell solicitor, however the bank advise he's not on their "panel". It appears that we have no option but to appoint one of the mortgage company panel conveyancing practices or keep our Burwell property lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. This seems very unfair; can we not demand that the lender use our Burwell conveyancer ?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Burwell conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

Do banks and building societies provide you with an approved list of Burwell conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel?

Burwell conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Nationwide conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Nationwide directly.

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

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the common causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Searches are not likely to feature in any slowing down conveyancing in Burwell.

3 months have elapsed following my purchase conveyancing in Burwell concluded. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Burwell conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Burwell conveyancing practice) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggest that you make enquires with two or three firms including non Burwell conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be helpful:

What are the legal fees for lease extension conveyancing? What volume of lease extensions has the firm completed in Burwell in the last twenty four months?

I bought a basement flat in Burwell, conveyancing having been completed March 2008. How much will my lease extension cost? Equivalent properties in Burwell with an extended lease are worth £222,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2096

With only 71 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to range between £9,500 and £11,000 plus costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.