Me and my partner are purchasing a maisonette in Pershore. My lawyer has never been on on the lender conveyancing panel. Is it possible for me to continue with my Pershore conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the bank panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?

You will need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner to deal with the legal work required if you need a loan to purchase your home. They will carry out all the relevant legal checks on the property, make sure that you’re properly registered as the owner and ensure that all the required mortgage documentation is in place. One may instruct a Pershore lawyer of your choice. Nevertheless, if the conveyancer appointed is not on the lender approved list additional charges will be incurred as separate legal representation will be need by the lender. Bank panel applications may be submitted, so if your solicitor has not in the past sought membership they should take the chance to apply.

My brother-in-law has suggested I instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Pershore. I need to find out whether they are on the Godiva Mortgages Ltd conveyancing panel. Could you help?

You should e-mail the conveyancer and enquire whether they are on the lender panel. Otherwise you should get in touch with Godiva Mortgages Ltd who may be able to help.

I am the only beneficiary of my late father’s estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the my former home in Pershore. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in January. I plan to dispose of the house. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders six month 'rule', which means that my proprietorship could be treated the same way as though I had purchased the property in January. Do I have to wait 6 months to sell?

The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook requires conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you could be affected by that. How sensible a view mortgage companies take of it, depend on the bank as this clause is principally there to capture the purchase and immediately sell or the flipping of properties.

I currently have a mortgage with Lloyds for my property in Pershore. Conveyancing was finalised a year ago. Should I wish to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Lloyds?

You must advise Lloyds in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Lloyds’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Lloyds will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Lloyds directly. You need not do this via a Lloyds conveyancing panel solicitor.

I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in February 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Bank of Ireland are being difficult. The Pershore solicitor who is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Bank of Ireland are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Bank of Ireland have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Bank of Ireland have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Bank of Ireland may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

I used Stirling Law a few years past for my conveyancing in Pershore. Now, I need the files but the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Pershore of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I’m about to sell my ground floor flat in Pershore. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, but I have recently had a half-yearly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is pay the maintenance contribution as you normally would given that all rents and service charges should be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents 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 1st floor flat in Pershore, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent properties in Pershore with an extended lease are worth £191,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 invoiced every year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2080

With only 54 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £31,400 and £36,200 plus legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. Do 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. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.