We are planning to purchase a 1 bedroom flat in Cippenham with a mortgage. We like our Cippenham solicitor, but the lender advise he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel conveyancing practices or continue with our Cippenham lawyer and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. We consider that this is inequitable; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer 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 Cippenham conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

Can I be sure that the Cippenham conveyancing solicitor on the UBS panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Cippenham seeking recommendations is a sensible start. 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 advocate that you speak with the solicitor handling your transaction.

My partner and I have arranged a further advance on our mortgage from Skipton as we wish to conduct alterations to our house in Cippenham. Are we obliged to choose a bricks and mortar Cippenham solicitor on the Skipton conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Skipton do not ordinarily appoint a member of their approved list of lawyers to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Skipton list.

I am selling my house. I had a double glazing fitted in February 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Santander are being a right pain. The Cippenham solicitor who is on the Santander conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Santander are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Santander have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Santander have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Santander may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

A colleague recommended that if I am purchasing in Cippenham I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Cippenham conveyancing searches. It is a large report of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out significant information about Cippenham around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Cippenham Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Cippenham Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Cippenham.

I bought my apartment on 4 February and the transaction details are still not on the land registry website. Need I be worried? My conveyancing solicitor in Cippenham expressed confidence that it would be formalised in less than a month. Are properties in Cippenham uniquely lengthy to register?

There is nothing unique about conveyancing in Cippenham registration formalities. Rather than based on location, timescales can vary depending on who lodges the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry need to notify any interested parties. As of today in the region of three quarters of submission are fully dealt with within 12 days but occasionally there can be protracted delays. Historically registration takes place after the purchaser is living at the premises therefore 'speed' is not usually top priority yet if it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your solicitor should speak with the land registry and explain the circumstances.

I've recently bought a leasehold house in Cippenham. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner 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 ensure 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).

Cippenham Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries before Purchasing

Generally speaking the outlay for major works tend not to be incorporated into the maintenance charges, albeit that there some managing agents in Cippenham require leaseholders to pay into a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger works. The best form of lease structure is where the freehold reversion is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this situation the lessees have control and even though a managing agent is frequently employed where the building is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves. Who is in charge of the block?