We are planning to buy a 2 bedroom flat in Melksham with a mortgage. We have a Melksham lawyer, but the bank advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel firms or continue with our Melksham solicitor as well as pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. This feels very unfair; can we not require that the mortgage company use our Melksham lawyer ?

No, not really. Your mortgage offer 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 Melksham conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

I had intended to instruct a property lawyer in Melksham for our home move. Our broker has since notified us that our bank Halifax won't deal with them. Surely this is unfair competition?

A lender will direct that a panel conveyancer act for it. You would be liable to bear the cost of this. Do use our database to choose a solicitor to conduct conveyancing in Melksham on the Halifax member panel.

I opted to have a survey completed on a property in Melksham ahead of appointing lawyers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the property. The surveyor has said that some mortgage companies may refuse to grant a mortgage on a flying freehold premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different requirements for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can check via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Melksham. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Melksham especially if they are familiar with such properties in Melksham.

We are 14 days into a freehold purchase having been directed to solicitors by the local agent to carry out the conveyancing in Melksham. We are not happy. Could you you assist me in finding new lawyers?

A lawyer would need to be very poor in order to consider changing them. Has the loan offer been generated? If so you will need to advise them of the new contact details and ensure the mortgage documents are issued to the new lawyers. Your new conveyancer needs to be on the mortgage company panel to avoid escalating expenses and frustration. So that should be your starting point. The search tool can help you find a bank approved lawyer for your conveyancing in Melksham

Can you offer any advice when it comes to choosing a Melksham conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Melksham conveyancing practice) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you talk with several firms including non Melksham conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions might be helpful:

How many lease extensions have they carried out in Melksham in the last 12 months?

I am the registered owner of a leasehold flat in Melksham, conveyancing was carried out December 2012. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Comparable flats in Melksham with over 90 years remaining are worth £197,000. The ground rent is £55 yearly. The lease ends on 21st October 2081

With only 56 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £29,500 and £34,000 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues 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 based on this information before getting professional advice.