I am considering applying for a Leeds Building Society mortgage for purchase of a new build (under development) in Hunstanton with 65 per cent loan to value. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Leeds Building Society ?

There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor, but Leeds Building Society will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is much more potential for delays and confusion with an additional lawyer added to the mix, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.

I am intent on selling our property in Hunstanton and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was constructed on contaminated land. A high street Hunstanton lawyer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers are using a nationwide conveyancing practice rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Hunstanton. Having lived in Hunstanton for three years we know of no issue. Should we get in touch with our local Authority to obtain clarification that the buyers are looking for.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer already. What do they say? You need to enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)

five months have gone by following my purchase conveyancing in Hunstanton completed. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £305k and identified one round the corner in Hunstanton I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, however it only has 49 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Hunstanton suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?

Should you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be an issue. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this.

I have just appointed agents to market my garden flat in Hunstanton. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, but I have recently had a yearly service charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

The sensible thing to do is discharge the service charge as you normally would as all ground rent and maintenance payments will be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I acquired a basement flat in Hunstanton, conveyancing having been completed September 2011. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Hunstanton with over 90 years remaining are worth £265,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 charged once a year. The lease expires on 21st October 2100

With just 76 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.