My fiance and I are buying a newly converted flat in Empingham with a loan from Virgin Money.We use our Empingham conveyancing lawyer but Virgin Money advised that she’s not on their approved list of member firms. we are left little option but to use a Virgin Money panel solicitor or keep our preferred solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to act for them. We feel as though this is unjust; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. The home loan issued to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers must be on the Virgin Money approved list. Until recently, most mortgage companies had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could find 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 Virgin Money

My relative recommended that where I am purchasing in Empingham I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is sometimes included in the estimate for your Empingham conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out important information about Empingham around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Empingham Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Empingham.

My wife and I own a renovated Georgian house in Empingham. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Coventry Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Empingham and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the purchase.

Just had an offer accepted on a new build flat in Empingham. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Here is a sample of a few leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Empingham

There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision. Please confirm the Lease plans are architect prepared.

Helen (my wife) and I may need to rent out our Empingham basement flat for a while due to taking a sabbatical. We instructed a Empingham conveyancing practice in 2001 but they have closed and we did not think at the time get any advice as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?

The lease governs relations between the landlord and you the flat owner; in particular, it will indicate if subletting is not allowed, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The accepted inference is that if the lease contains no specific ban or restriction, subletting is allowed. Most leases in Empingham do not prevent subletting altogether – such a clause would undoubtedly devalue the flat. In most cases there is a basic requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly supplying a copy of the tenancy agreement.

I am the registered owner of a 2 bed flat in Empingham, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar flats in Empingham with over 90 years remaining are worth £260,000. The ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease expires on 21st October 2099

With 74 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £8,600 and £9,800 plus professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.