I have been recommended a conveyancing solicitor in Crewkerne. I need to find out if they are on the Barnsley Building Society approved list of lawyers. Can you advise?

You should call the lawyer and ask them whether they can act for the bank. Otherwise you can get in touch with Barnsley Building Society who may be able to confirm.

I can not fathom if my bank obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called my Crewkerne building society branch on numerous occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they would lend. My Crewkerne conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- called and was told they will not lend based on their published requirements. I have no idea who is right.

As long as the lawyer is on the lender approved list, they must comply with the CML Handbook conditions for the lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.

About to purchase maisonette in Crewkerne. 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 Bank of Ireland 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 Crewkerne conveyancer is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel.

UBS have agreed my home loan in principle, my bid on a apartment in Crewkerne has been agreed to, now what?

Your estate agent will need to know who your solicitors are (be sure the conveyancers are on the lender’s approved list). Call up UBS or your broker and finish off any relevant forms. UBS will instruct a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or vendor to arrange a slot for the valuation to occur. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes about a week for the mortgage offer to be issued. UBS will issue the offer to you and your solicitors. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Crewkerne.

I am purchasing my first flat in Crewkerne with a loan from The Royal Bank of Scotland. The developers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The property agent advised me not disclose to my lawyer about the extras as it would affect my mortgage with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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.

My husband and I are 17 days into a freehold purchase having been recommend to a firm by the high street agent to execute conveyancing in Crewkerne. I am not happy. Can you help me find new lawyers?

They would need to be really bad to suggest diss instructing them. Has your mortgage offer been issued? If so you will need to inform them of the new solicitor and have the mortgage documents are issued to the new lawyers. The conveyancer should be on the mortgage company approved list to avoid supplemental costs and complications. So that should be your first question of the new conveyancers. Our find a solicitor tool should help you find a lender approved solicitor for your home move in Crewkerne

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 62 years remaining on my lease in Crewkerne. I now wish to extend my lease but my landlord is absent. What should I do?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be lengthened by the Court. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you have made all reasonable attempts to track down the freeholder. In some cases a specialist may be helpful to conduct investigations and prepare an expert document which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Crewkerne.

I own a 1st floor flat in Crewkerne, conveyancing formalities finalised 6 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 Crewkerne with over 90 years remaining are worth £202,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £60 invoiced annually. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2082

You have 57 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £28,500 and £33,000 plus legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.