Just been in touch with my conveyancing lawyer in Penrith who acted for me two years ago requesting a conveyancing estimate based on the same type of home move (a leasehold premises and a freehold premises) of similar values with a loan from Yorkshire Building Society. I am now being quoted double. Should I hunt for an alternative conveyancer?

The costs illustration is fractionally on the high side. Where you are prepared to invest time scrutinising quotes you might decrease the fees slightly by as much as £100 plus VAT. On the other hand, assuming were pleased with the legal work the firm offered you mightcome to rue choosing an an untested conveyancer. Don't forget to enquire the solicitor can represent Yorkshire Building Society. You can utilise our search tool to get a quote a Penrith conveyancing firm on the Yorkshire Building Society conveyancing panel, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Penrith.

Please help. My Penrith lawyer is advising me that he has toapply for Penrith conveyancing searches asthe firm are on the Nat Westsolicitor panel. Do I not have a choice here?

You have limited options available to you. As you are taking a mortgage with a lender your conveyancing practitioner has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your solicitor would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the CML Handbook specifications . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Penrith conveyancing searches.

Given that I am about to part with over three hundred thousand on a garden flat in Penrith I wish to talk to a lawyer about myhouse move in advance of giving the go ahead to the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

This is something that we recommend - we would be delighted to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you speaking to the solicitor who will be doing your property ownership legalities in Penrith.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is an important person, not a file reference. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are calculated and presented to you for residential conveyancing in Penrith should be the figure that you end up paying.

I have just appointed agents to market my garden flat in Penrith. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, but I have just had a quarterly service charge demand – Do I pay up?

It best that you discharge the service charge as you normally would because all rents and maintenance charges will be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser 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 invested in buying a 1 bedroom flat in Penrith, conveyancing formalities finalised December 1998. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Comparable properties in Penrith with an extended lease are worth £195,000. The ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2088

You have 63 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £16,200 and £18,600 plus legals.

The suggested premium range 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 without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

My wife and I expecting to exchange buying a property in Penrith but as a result of damage from the recent storms I have agreed reparation from the current proprietors of £2k taking the form of a reduction in the price. This was going to be addressed as part of the conveyancing process yet my bank will not agree to this. Should they have been involved?

Any conveyancer that is on a lender approved list is required to inform the lender of any amendments to the sale price. In the event that you were to refuse your solicitor to report the reduction to your bank then they would have to refrain from representing you and the mortgage company.