Me and my partner are buying a 1 bedroom flat in New Brighton with a mortgage. We would like to retain our New Brighton solicitor, however the lender says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel firms or continue with our New Brighton lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. We regard this is unjust; can we not demand that the mortgage company use our New Brighton property lawyer ?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’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 New Brighton conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

The New Brighton conveyancing firm handling our New Brighton conveyancing has identified a difference between the information in the home valuation report and what is revealed within the legal papers for the property. My solicitor informs me that he needs to ensure that the lender is OK with this discrepancy and is still content to lend. Is my conveyancer’s stance legitimate?

Your property lawyer must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook specifications which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I have offered on two weeks back in what should have been a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. New Brighton is where the house is located. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in New Brighton are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in New Brighton you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in New Brighton may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

I’m about to sell my garden apartment in New Brighton. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, however I have recently had a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is pay the service charge as usual because all ground rent and maintenance payments will be allotted on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I purchased a leasehold flat in New Brighton, conveyancing having been completed December 1997. How much will my lease extension cost? Equivalent properties in New Brighton with a long lease are worth £192,000. The ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2079

With 54 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to span between £32,300 and £37,400 plus professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

How much experience do your New Brighton conveyancing solicitors have with Help To Buy, Shared Equity and similar schemes?

New Brighton conveyancing lawyers help thousands of buyers move home every year and assisted plenty of clients through the Help To Buy scheme. The chances are that whatever makes your case unique New Brighton conveyancers have worked on recent similar matters.