My wife and I are soon to exchange buying a house in Hawkshead but as a result of wreckage from a small fire at the property I have managed to agree reparation from the current proprietors of £3k by way of a reduction in the price. This was going to be addressed as part of a side agreement yet Bank of Ireland will not permit this. Why were they approached?

Your property lawyer being on the Bank of Ireland approved list is obliged to disclose to Bank of Ireland of any amendments to the sale price. If you were to refuse your property lawyer to notify the price change to Bank of Ireland then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Bank of Ireland and you would have to appoint a new property lawyer for your conveyancing in Hawkshead.

What happens if my solicitor is expelled from the Lloyds Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Hawkshead?

First, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.

Can you point me to a directory of Yorkshire BS panel solicitors in Hawkshead on the Council of Mortgage Lender’s Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such directory service on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. A small selection of banks make their panel listings available online. If you are in need of a Hawkshead conveyancing practitioner on the Yorkshire BS please make the most of our facility.

Intending to buy a maisonette in Hawkshead. 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 Leeds Building Society 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 Hawkshead property lawyer is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel.

I have finally had an offer on a maisonette in Hawkshead accepted, but there is a chain. The vendors have offered on on an apartment, but it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other properties in the pipeline. I have chosen a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Hawkshead. What should be my next step? At what point should I apply for the mortgage with RBS?

It is understandable to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses prematurely (mortgage application is approx £1k, then valuation, Hawkshead conveyancing search costs, etc). The first course of action is to check that your conveyancer is on the RBS approved list. Regarding the subsequent phase this very much dictated by the specifics of your transaction, motivation for the property and on the state of the market. During a hot market some buyers will apply for the mortgage with RBS and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their conveyancing practitioner to move forward with searches.

I opted to have a survey completed on a property in Hawkshead prior to appointing conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. Our surveyor has said that some mortgage companies may not issue a loan on such a premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to telephone us we can check via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Hawkshead. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Hawkshead to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

I want to let out my leasehold flat in Hawkshead. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Do I need to ask my freeholder for their consent?

A small minority of properties in Hawkshead do contain a provision to say that subletting is only allowed with permission. The landlord cannot unreasonably refuse but, in such cases, they would need to review references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting consent.

I inherited a garden flat in Hawkshead, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen 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? Corresponding properties in Hawkshead with an extended lease are worth £171,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2104

With only 79 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £8,600 and £9,800 plus professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.