I was told today by my IFA that my Gloucester the law firm I have appointed is not on the bank Conveyancing panel. What can I do to be sure whether this is correct?

Your first step should be to call your Gloucester lawyer directly. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to advise you of the situation. If they are not on the panel they may be able to suggest a Gloucester conveyancing firm that is on the approved list of lawyers for your mortgage company.

I am about to put an offer on a leasehold property in Gloucester. The estate agents assure me that it is standard for flats in Gloucester to have less than 75 years left on the lease. I am taking out a loan with Platform. Is this going to be a problem if the lease has 70 years remaining.

Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are securing a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Platform have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 26/1/2023 the requirements read as follows :

A colleague recommended that where I am purchasing in Gloucester I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

A search of this type is sometimes included in the estimate for your Gloucester conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about Gloucester 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, Gloucester Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about Gloucester.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Gloucester?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Gloucester. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

Is it the case that all Gloucester legal practices on every lender conveyancing panel?

The Lexsure search tool on this page may be of use or you can drop into your high street lender branch in Gloucester. Chances are that they will know some good conveyancing solicitors in Gloucester