My husband and I are purchasing a 2 bedroom apartment in Milton with a loan from Santander.We like our Milton conveyancing solicitor but Santander advised that her practice is not on their approved list of member firms. It seems we are left with little choice but to instruct a Santander panel solicitor or retain our high street solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The loan issued to you contains various provisions, a common one being that solicitors needs to be on the Santander approved list. in the past, most mortgage companies 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. A further alternative is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Santander

My wife and I are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our property in Milton and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was constructed land that was not decontaminated. Any high street Milton conveyancer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers are using a web based conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Milton. Having lived in Milton for many years we know of no issue. Do we get in touch with our local Authority to get confirmation that there is no issue.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You must 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 health insurance to cover that same sickness)

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in Milton I like with amenity areas and railway links in the vicinity, however it only has 51 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Milton in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?

Should you require a mortgage that many years will likely be an issue. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this.

I am downsizing from my house. My past lawyers closed down. I am in need of a recommendation of a conveyancing firm. I happen to live in Milton if that makes a difference.

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

My lawyers in Milton have advised me that no longer have my conveyancing file. At the time of my purchase I took out a mortgage with the bank. Is it case that being on the lender conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a number of years?

Different lenders have different requirements but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the lender Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting the mortgage company directly.