My husband and I are intending to acquire a 3 bedroom apartment in Plymouth with a mortgage. We have a Plymouth conveyancer, however the bank says she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel firms or continue with our Plymouth property lawyer and pay for one of their panel firms to represent them. We regard this is unjust; can we not insist that the mortgage company use our Plymouth conveyancer ?

No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’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. A further alternative is for your Plymouth conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

It has been 3 months following my purchase conveyancing in Plymouth took place. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £160,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

Just had an offer accepted on a new build apartment in Plymouth. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Set out below are examples of a few leasehold new build questions that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Plymouth

The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. Please provide evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose?

I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing solicitor in Plymouth for my home move. Is there any facility to review a firm’s record with the profession’s regulator?

One can review documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations arising from investigations started on or after 1 January 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find records Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors record, ring 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For non-uk callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA may recorded call for training requirements.

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Plymouth with the purpose of speeding up the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Plymouth can be avoided if you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but you should verify this by asking your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is less than 75 years. In the circumstances it is important at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale. If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where a dispute is unresolved. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as over rather than unresolved. A minority of Plymouth leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors. If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should make sure that you hold the original share certificate. Organising a new share certificate can be a lengthy formality and slows down many a Plymouth home move. If a reissued share certificate is needed, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (if applicable) for this sooner rather than later.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Plymouth - Sample of Queries Prior to buying

Is anyone aware of any major works on the horizon that will likely add a premium to the maintenance costs? How is the lease structured? Best to be warned whether changing the roof or some other major work is due shortly to be shared amongst the tenants and may well dramatically increase the the service charges or require a one time invoice.