My fiance and I are hoping to buy a purpose built flat in East Yorkshire with a loan from Nottingham Building Society.We use our East Yorkshire conveyancing lawyer but Nottingham Building Society informed us she’s not listed on their "panel". It seems we are left with little choice but to instruct a Nottingham Building Society panel solicitor or retain our preferred solicitor and pay for a Nottingham Building Society panel lawyer to act for them. We feel as though this is unjust; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. The loan offered to you contains terms and conditions, a common one being that conveyancers will be on the Nottingham Building Society conveyancing panel. Until recently, most banks 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. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Nottingham Building Society

I'm buying my first flat in East Yorkshire benefiting from help to buy. The sellers refused to move on the price so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative suggested that I not inform my lawyer about this deal as it could put at risk my mortgage with Virgin Money. Should I keep quiet?.

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.

Should I be wary that estate agents that I am dealing with are recommending a national conveyancing firm as opposed to a local East Yorkshire conveyancing practice?

As is the case with lots of service providers, often suggestions from family and friends can be worth their weight in gold. Yet there are numerous parties with a vested interest in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, financial adviser and banks may suggest solicitors to use. Sometimes the lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but sometimes there is an underlying financial incentive behind the recommendation. You have the discretion to select your own lawyer. Don't forget that the majority of mortgage providers specify a panel list of law firms you are obliged to use for the mortgage aspect of your home move.

Planning to exchange soon on a ground floor flat in East Yorkshire. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they will have a report out to me on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in East Yorkshire should include some of the following:

The unexpired lease term. You should receive guidance as what happens when the lease expires, and aware of the importance of the 80 year mark The physical ownership of the demise. This may be the apartment itself but could also include a roof space or basement if applicable. You must be informed what is to be regarded as a Nuisance as far as the lease is concerned What options are open to you if a neighbour breaches a clause of their lease? You would want to be sent a copy of the lease

I am the registered owner of a 1 bedroom flat in East Yorkshire, conveyancing formalities finalised 10 years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar properties in East Yorkshire with over 90 years remaining are worth £227,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease terminates on 21st October 2093

With just 72 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. 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 move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.

Please can you recommend a lawyer for buying a house? Ideally someone in East Yorkshire, who will contact me via email - not someone who insists on a letter in the post or fax.

The purpose of this site is limited to being a directory service for solicitors who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Skipton in certain areas such as East Yorkshire . We dont recommend any particular solicitor.