Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my conveyancer in Callington is not identified on my lender's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of her conveyancing?

That is more than likely a wrong assumption to make. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator revealed that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) lack of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should contact the Callington conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.

Have just purchased a probate house at auction in Callington. Conveyancing is required. What is next?

Now that you have exchanged you will need to choose a conveyancing lawyer as a matter of urgency as you now have a fast approaching a fixed date to complete the purchase. Every auction property will ordinarily have a bespoke auction pack. This will likely include evidence of title and search results. If you have purchased leasehold property the conveyancing papers may include a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation specific to leasehold premises. You must pass this on to the conveyancer working for you ASAP. You also need to ensure that your finances are in order to complete the transaction on the set completion date.

is it true that all Callington solicitors on the RBS conveyancing panel are regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the RBS approved list of solicitors they would need to be regulated by the SRA. The majority of banks do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such practice would be overseen by the CLC.

Planning on purchasing a house in Callington. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Callington property lawyer is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel.

I need to retain a conveyancing solicitor for purchase conveyancing in Callington. I've chance upon a web site which looks to be the perfect solution If there is a chance to get all formalities completed via web 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?

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Callington from the point of view of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Callington can be bypassed if you get in touch lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers’ lawyers.
If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where a dispute is unresolved. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to present the dispute as historic as opposed to unsettled. If you hold a share in a the Management Company, you should ensure that you are holding the original share document. Obtaining a re-issued share certificate can be a time consuming process and frustrates many a Callington conveyancing transaction. Where a reissued share is necessary, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (if applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity. You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be wise to verify this via your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is under 75 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an early stage that you identify whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale. In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s consent? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Callington state that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such alterations. Should you fail to have the consents in place do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your solicitor in the first instance.

I bought a 2 bed flat in Callington, conveyancing formalities finalised 7 years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar properties in Callington with over 90 years remaining are worth £190,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 invoiced every year. The lease expires on 21st October 2086

With only 61 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £19,000 and £22,000 as well as legals.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be considered and you obviously 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.

Myself and my fiance have just had an offer agreed on a property and had meeting on Tuesday with the Post Office for the mortgage. They warned us that when it comes to appointing a solicitor that unless they are on their approved list of lawyers then we will have to pay out an additional charge of about two hundred pounds. This is because they would then have to select a property lawyer to act for them as well as the one we select on our behalf and we are liable for their invoice. I have requested the Post Office to send me with a list so I can request estimates only from their approved solicitors but was told that I need to check with each individual lawyer to see if they are on the panel. Is there a list online?

Ask the Post Office what their panel criteria is for a conveyancer.Then ask the property lawyer of your choice whether they meet the criteria and have they acted on mortgages for the Post Office historically. Where the answer to those is yes, then just clarify this with the Post Office. Alternatively please use our search facility and we may be able to find you a conveyancer in Callington on the panel for the Post Office.