We're in Hungerford, First time buyers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Co-operative , and our lawyer is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancing practitioner should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

We are getting the release of further funds on our home loan from Aldermore as we want to carry out a loft conversion to our home in Hungerford. Do we need to select a local Hungerford solicitor on the Aldermore conveyancing panel to handle the paperwork?

Aldermore do not ordinarily require a member of 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 Aldermore panel.

After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Hungerford. My financial adviser suggested a lawyer. I paid an advanced payment of £150. A couple of days later, the solicitor called me to say that they were not on the UBS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the UBS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Aldermore have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a flat in Hungerford has been accepted, now what?

Your estate agent will wish to know who your solicitors are (ensure that the solicitors are on the lender’s approved list). Call up Aldermore or the broker and complete any relevant paperwork. Aldermore will sellect a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or seller to schedule an appointment. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes approximately ten days for the mortgage offer to be issued. Aldermore will issue the offer to you and your conveyancing practitioners. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Hungerford.

What is different about your site and other online quote calculators for conveyancing in Hungerford?

At this site obtain an accurate quote via a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer that has a full understanding of the issues of your conveyancing in Hungerford. Unlike many estate agents and many comparison sites we do not have referral arrangements with solicitors. Some agents and online brokers 'recommend' the firm who pay the highest commission, as opposed to the best value conveyancing in Hungerford

Am I better off to go with a Hungerford conveyancing practitioner based in the area that I am purchasing? An old friend can handle the legal work however they are based 400kilometers away.

The primary upside of using a high street Hungerford conveyancing practice is that you can attend the office to execute documents, hand in your identification documents and apply pressure on them where appropriate. They will also have local intelligence which is a plus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If you know people who instructed your friend and they were content that should surpass using an unfamiliar Hungerford conveyancing lawyer just because they are local.

I am employed by a long established estate agency in Hungerford where we have witnessed a few flat sales jeopardised as a result of short leases. I have been given contradictory information from local Hungerford conveyancing firms. Could you confirm whether the owner of a flat can initiate the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser need not have to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.

Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

I am the registered owner of a 2 bed flat in Hungerford, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2011. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Corresponding properties in Hungerford with an extended lease are worth £216,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2093

You have 69 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.