I am not in a position to travel far from Cotswolds. What is the rationale as to why all Cotswolds solicitors aren't automatically on all lender panels?

A decade ago most banks had an approach to risk which differs from the current day. The FSA in 2010 instigated a thematic review into fraud which in summary warned lenders: know the lawyers on your panel. Consequently, mortgage companies have subsequently requiredmore data from law firms about their processes and the staff employed by them and set certain criteria such as completing a minimum volume of transactions. Many law practices have found themselves excluded from lender panels even though they had 100% healthy disciplinary record, no complaints and zero claims and didn't just 'dabble' in conveyancing. Many firms found it impossible satisfy the minimum volume of transactions the mortgage companies insisted on.

Can I use your services to recommend a Conveyancing solicitor in Cotswolds even where I’m not buying or disposing of a house, for example if I want to buy an office in Cotswolds with a loan from Barclays Direct?

Our comparison service is mainly used to locate residential conveyancing solicitors in Cotswolds but we have recorded at the bottom of this page some Cotswolds commercial conveyancing firms. You will need to speak with the company directly to check if they are also authorised to represent Barclays Direct

The Cotswolds conveyancing lawyers that I recently instructed on my purchase in Cotswolds have suddenly shut down. I chose them because I had to have a firm on the Lloyds conveyancing panel and my family Cotswolds lawyer was not. I issued them a cheque for two hundred pounds in advance. What are my options?

If you have an estate agent involved then inform them straight away so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Lloyds conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers may be able to help.

As co-executor for the will of my uncle I am selling a property in Newport but live in Cotswolds. My solicitor (based 300 miles from meneeds me to sign a stat dec prior to the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing lawyer in Cotswolds who can attest and place their company stamp on the document?

strictly speaking you are not likely to be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily any notary public or qualified solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are located in Cotswolds

What makes a Cotswolds lease unacceptable for security purposes?

Leasehold conveyancing in Cotswolds is not unique. Most leases are individual and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain clauses are missing. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

Insurance obligations Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.

You will have a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Santander, Skipton Building Society, and Alliance & Leicester all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the purchaser to pull out.

I acquired a 2 bed flat in Cotswolds, conveyancing formalities finalised December 1997. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Similar flats in Cotswolds with over 90 years remaining are worth £195,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2086

With 63 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to span between £16,200 and £18,600 plus costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.