My husband and I are hoping to acquire a flat in Leatherhead and have instructed a Leatherhead conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. National Westminster Bank have this afternoon contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Leatherhead solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?

When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Leatherhead solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

My wife and I have a terraced Georgian property in Leatherhead. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Coventry Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You should review 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 Leatherhead and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also check the situation with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £235,500 and found one near me in Leatherhead I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, however it's only got 49 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Leatherhead in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?

If you require a mortgage that many years will likely be problematic. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.

I am downsizing from my property. My previous lawyers closed down. It would be helpful to have a recommendation of a conveyancing firm. Im based in Leatherhead if that affects matters.

Do use our search tool to help you choose a solicitor for your conveyancing in Leatherhead. We have connected thousands of home buyers and sellers with lender approved solicitors to ensure that the legalities of their house move runs with a minimum of fuss.

I own a leasehold house in Leatherhead. Conveyancing and Barclays Direct mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the freehold. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1993. The conveyancing practitioner in Leatherhead who acted for me is not around. Any advice?

First contact the Land Registry to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to incur the fees of a Leatherhead conveyancing firm to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that in any event, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I acquired a basement flat in Leatherhead, conveyancing formalities finalised May 2009. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Comparable flats in Leatherhead with a long lease are worth £179,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 levied per year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2083

You have 57 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £26,600 and £30,800 plus costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.