Me and my partner are purchasing a 2 bedroom apartment in Hayes with a mortgage. We have a Hayes solicitor, however the bank says she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel conveyancing practices or keep our Hayes lawyer and pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. We regard this is unjust; 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 lender’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. Another option that might be available is for your Hayes conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

AssumingI was to acquire a freehold housein Hayes for cash and have no survey and no conveyancing searches how much would I expect to have to pay for conveyancing in Hayes?

The only reduction in fees you would make on is the Hayes conveyancing searches. Your conveyancer is obliged to do the vast majority of work - money laundering, liaising with the vendors property lawyer, stamp duty submission, register the ownership etc. You might save a bit for them not needing to register a mortgage however it will not be significant.

Hoping to buy a property located in Hayes and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Hayes. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Hayes area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Hayes. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

Is it best to go with a Hayes conveyancing lawyer in close proximity to the house I am buying? I have an old university friend who can perform the conveyancing however his firm is located over three hundred miles drive away.

The benefit of a local Hayes conveyancing practice is that you can attend the office to execute paperwork, present your ID and apply pressure on them if necessary. They will also have local intelligence which is a benefit. However it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If if people you trust instructed your friend and they were content that must outweigh using an unknown Hayes conveyancing solicitor just because they are local.

After months of correspondence we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Hayes. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

in cases where there is a missing freeholder or where there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant legislation it is possible to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to make a decision on the sum to be paid.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Hayes residence is 164 Nestles Avenue in October 2013. The tribunal agreed with the proposed price of £20,158 for the freehold and determined that that sum is the amount to be paid into court This case was in relation to 2 flats. The remaining number of years on the lease was 69 years.

When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Hayes what are the most frequent lease problems?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Hayes. Most leases are unique and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain sections are erroneous. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.

A defective lease can cause issues when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Santander, Leeds Building Society, and Britannia all have express requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the purchaser to withdraw.