Me and my fiance are buying a 1 bedroom flat in Washwood Heath with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Washwood Heath conveyancer, however the bank advise she’s not on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to appoint one of the lender panel conveyancing practices or keep our Washwood Heath lawyer and pay for one of their panel firms to represent them. We feel that this is inequitable; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. 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. Another option that might be available is for your Washwood Heath conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

It has been five months since my purchase conveyancing in Washwood Heath took place. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £175,000 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 residence 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.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £245,000 and identified one close by in Washwood Heath I like with open areas and station nearby, however it only has 49 years on the lease. There is not much else in Washwood Heath suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

If you require a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be an issue. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you may ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.

I need to retain a conveyancing solicitor for purchase conveyancing in Washwood Heath. I've chance upon a site which seems to have the perfect answer If there is a chance to get all the legals done via phone that would be ideal. Should I be wary? What should out be looking out for?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

At what point do I incur the Stamp Duty Land Tax chargeable for my Washwood Heath property purchase?

The majority of conveyancers tend to complete a Land Transaction Return Form for you as part of your Washwood Heath conveyancing transaction for you to sign. On completion your property lawyer will submit your STL Return Form to the Tax Authorities and - assuming they have the funds - discharge any Stamp Duty liability on your behalf.