My husband and I are looking to purchase a home in Standish and are in fact using a Standish conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our solicitor has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. Accord Mortgages Ltd have this afternoon contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Standish solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?

If you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Standish solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

We are purchasing a flat in Standish. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a conveyancer? At some point we have to send funds into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our money?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

I can see plenty of here about conveyancing in Standish but what is your top tip for finding the right conveyancer in Standish

It would be unwise to be tempted by the lowest Standish conveyancing fees. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in advance.

Is there a list of Aldermore panel conveyancers in Standish on the Council of Mortgage Lender’s Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such facility on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. A small selection of mortgage companies make their panel listings available over the internet. Where you are in need of a Standish lawyer on the Aldermore please use our tool.

Various internet forums that I have frequented warn that are the main reason for hinderance in Standish house deals. Is that correct?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the top 10 causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in Standish.

As co-executor for the estate of my aunt I am selling a residence in Newport but I am based in Standish. My lawyer (based 260 miles from merequires that I execute a stat dec before the transaction finalising. Can you recommend a conveyancing lawyer in Standish to witness and place their company stamp on the document?

Technically speaking you are unlikely to need to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily or notary public or solicitor will do regardless of whether they are based in Standish

Frank (my husband) and I may need to rent out our Standish basement flat temporarily due to a career opportunity. We instructed a Standish conveyancing practice in 2003 but they have since shut and we did not have the foresight to get any guidance as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

Your lease governs relations between the landlord and you the flat owner; in particular, it will indicate if subletting is banned, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The rule is that if the lease contains no expres ban or restriction, subletting is allowed. The majority of leases in Standish do not prevent an absolute prevention of subletting – such a provision would undoubtedly devalue the property. Instead, there is usually a basic requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly supplying a duplicate of the tenancy agreement.

I own a garden flat in Standish, conveyancing having been completed March 2000. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Equivalent properties in Standish with a long lease are worth £191,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced every year. The lease ends on 21st October 2078

With just 53 years unexpired the likely cost is going to span between £27,600 and £31,800 plus costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.