My wife and I are buying a 1 bedroom flat in Failsworth with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Failsworth conveyancer, but the lender says she’s not on their "panel". It seems we have no choice but to instruct one of the mortgage company panel firms or retain our Failsworth and pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. We regard this is inequitable; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. The mortgage offered to you 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 Failsworth conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

I am the only beneficiary of my late grandmother’s estate and I have everything in my name now, including the my former home in Failsworth. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in . I now wish to sell up. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders six month 'rule', which means that my property ownership could be treated the same way as though I had purchased the house in . Is the property unsalable for six months?

The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook obliges conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you could be caught by that. How sensible a view lenders take of it, depend on the lender as this obligation is chiefly there to pick up on subsales or the quick reselling of property.

We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from as we intend to conduct improvements to our property in Failsworth. Do we need to choose a high street Failsworth solicitor on the conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?

do not ordinarily instruct firms on their conveyancing panel to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the conveyancing panel.

I am buying a property in Failsworth. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender be concerned?

As your lender is your lawyer must check the conveyancing instructions contained in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for . The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook sets out minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and are required to report to where a lease fails to meet these provisions. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not restricted to Failsworth.

I am purchasing my first flat in Failsworth with a loan from . The builders refused to reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent advised me not disclose to my solicitor about this side-deal as it would put at risk my mortgage with the lender. Is this normal?.

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.

I acquired a 1st floor flat in Failsworth, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Failsworth with an extended lease are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease finishes on 21st October 50

With only 50 years unexpired the likely cost is going to span between £36,100 and £41,800 as well as professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

My partner and I are buying a 2 bedroom flat in Failsworth. When we first instructed , we were told they were on all major UK lender panels. Our financial adviser emailed yesterday to say that they are not on the approved list. Were it to be true, what should we do? Should we simply pick a different that is on their panel or do we cover the costs for dual representation, with selecting their own approved .

When acquiring a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is usual for the purchaser’s solicitors to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a has to be on that lender's list of approved lawyers. An application has to be made by the to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the has to satisfy. Some building societies now insist their panel firms to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your should contact to discover if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on 's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Failsworth lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.