I am in the process of selling my home in Newton Longville and the EA has just e-mailed to say that the buyers are switching property lawyer. The reason given is that the lender will only deal with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a big named lender only deal with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Newton Longville ?

Lenders have always had an approved set of law firms they are content to work with, but in the last few years big names such as Nationwide, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for many years.

Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

We are acquiring our first house. Our solicitor has calledto see if we would like to order additional conveyancing searches. We are really unsure what's appropriate for conveyancing in Newton Longville

The quantity and type of Newton Longville conveyancing searches should be dictated entirely on the property, the location, the likelihood of any of these risks, your knowledge of the area and risks, your general attitude to risk. What matters is that you properly comprehend what information each search could give you. You may then decide if you consider that you need that information. Should you be uncertain, ask the solicitor to guide you.

What will a local search inform me regarding the property my wife and I buying in Newton Longville?

Newton Longville conveyancing often commences with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search company for instance Searchflow The local search is essential in every Newton Longville conveyancing purchase; that is if you wish to avoid any nasty surprises after you move into your property. The search will reveal data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 subject areas.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in Newton Longville I like with open areas and station in the vicinity, however it only has 49 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Newton Longville suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?

If you need a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will be an issue. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you could 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 consult your conveyancing solicitor about this.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete our sale of a £475,000 apartment in Newton Longville on Monday in a week. The management company has quoted £324 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Newton Longville?

Newton Longville conveyancing on leasehold flats nine out of ten times involves administration charges invoiced by freeholders :

Addressing conveyancing due diligence questions Where consent is required before sale in Newton Longville Copies of the building insurance and schedule Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your conveyancer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Newton Longville leasehold property is £350. For Newton Longville conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are obliged to provide answers.

I acquired a 1st floor flat in Newton Longville, conveyancing was carried out in 2007. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Newton Longville with over 90 years remaining are worth £201,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2089

With just 64 years unexpired the likely cost is going to span between £15,200 and £17,600 plus costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns 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 without first getting professional advice.