I am progressing with the sale of my apartment in Hockley Heath and the estate agent has just telephoned to warn that the purchasers are appointing a new property lawyer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only work with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a big named lender only work with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Hockley Heath ?

Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms they are content to work with, but in the last few years big names such as HSBC, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for over 25 years.

Lenders point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are unlikely to have any impact on this.

We are planning to acquire a property and require a conveyancing solicitor in Hockley Heath who is on the RBS conveyancing panel. Could you point me in the right direction as regards a solicitor?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for RBS . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Hockley Heath.

Do the Building Society Association intend to launch a online directory to to identify firms on the Melton Mowbray Building Society conveyancing panel for example in Hockley Heath?

Lexsure has not been advised of any plans on the part of the BSA to promote such a register.

Me and my brother own a semi-detached Georgian house in Hockley Heath. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Virgin Money. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the matching property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be 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 Hockley Heath and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also question the position with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the conveyancing.

I have recently realised that I have Fifty years left on my flat in Hockley Heath. I am keen to get lease extension but my freeholder is can not be found. What should I do?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the magistrate. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to track down the freeholder. In some cases an enquiry agent may be useful to carry out a search and to produce an expert document to be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to proving the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Hockley Heath.

I bought a studio flat in Hockley Heath, conveyancing formalities finalised 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 flats in Hockley Heath with over 90 years remaining are worth £260,000. The ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2099

With just 74 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.