When it comes to mortgage companies such as RBS, do Calne solicitors incur an annual charge to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are not aware of any mortgage company fees to register on their panel, although some do levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

How can we know in advance if a Calne conveyancing solicitor on the Barclays panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Calne getting recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always recommend that you speak with the solicitor conducting your transaction.

I currently have a mortgage with RBS for my property in Calne. Conveyancing has been completed a year ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform RBS?

RBS must be informed of your intention in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of RBS’s mortgage conditions. It may be that RBS will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact RBS directly. You need not do this via a RBS conveyancing panel solicitor.

I used Arc property Solicitors a few years ago for my conveyancing in Calne. Now, I need the documents however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Calne of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I am buying a new build house in Calne with a mortgage from The Mortgage Works. The sellers would not budge the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not to tell my lawyer about the side-deal as it will affect my mortgage with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and found one round the corner in Calne I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 49 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Calne for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?

If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this.

I own a leasehold house in Calne. Conveyancing and Aldermore mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing solicitor in Calne who previously acted has long since retired. What should I do?

First make enquiries of HMLR to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to incur the fees of a Calne conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I inherited a studio flat in Calne, conveyancing having been completed 3 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? Equivalent flats in Calne with a long lease are worth £260,000. The ground rent is £45 yearly. The lease runs out on 21st October 2100

With just 74 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £8,600 and £9,800 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range 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 comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.