We are only a couple days away from an exchange on a property in Whitby and my mum and dad have transferred the 10% deposit to my conveyancing practitioner. I am now advised that as the deposit has been received from someone other than me my lawyer needs to make a notification to my mortgage company. I am advised that, in also acting for the lender he must inform them that the balance of the purchase price is coming from anyone other than me. I advised the lender about my parents' contribution when I applied for the home loan, so is it really necessary for this now to be an issue?

The conveyancing practitioner is legally required to check with the bank to make sure that they are aware that the balance of the purchase price is not from your own funds. Your solicitor can only reveal this to your bank if you agree, failing which, your lawyer must cease to continue acting.

Can you help - my lawyer advises that lack of right of way insurance is necessary on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Whitby conveyancing?

The right level of lack of right of way indemnity insurance depends on your lender. It would differ for example between Lloyds TSB Bank and Virgin Money. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to borrowers take out such insurances.

Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with RBS. Whitby conveyancing solicitors have been chosen. How long does it take for RBS to forward the offer to the lawyer?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have RBS conducted the valuation? Have you advised RBS as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the RBS conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

I've read lots of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Whitby solicitor - who is on the Principality conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

Principality will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Principality will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your solicitor will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Whitby postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Principality, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Whitby.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Whitby with the aid of help to buy. The sellers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The property agent told me not reveal to my solicitor about this deal as it may impact my loan with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

How simple is it to transfer to a new firm as I need to choose one who is on the Barnsley Building Society conveyancing list. I had appointed a family conveyancing solicitor in Whitby round the corner but the firm is not approved by Barnsley Building Society

We will our best to assist in finding you a conveyancing solicitor in Whitby on the Barnsley Building Society panel. Please note that the conveyancers that we work with do not pay us fee if you instruct them and are registered with the SRA who oversee all conveyancing solicitors in Whitby. In making use of the find a conveyancing solicitor tool on this site, you can compare and instruct different solicitors and conveyancers both nationally and in Whitby.

I am looking at a couple of flats in Whitby which have about 50 years left on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There is no doubt about it. A leasehold flat in Whitby is a deteriorating asset as a result of the shortening lease. The closer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it reduces the value of the property. For most buyers and mortgage companies, leases with under 75 years become less and less attractive. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a residence with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Whitby conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease. They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

I inherited a 1st floor flat in Whitby, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Similar flats in Whitby with an extended lease are worth £211,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease ends on 21st October 2094

With 68 years unexpired the likely cost is going to span between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.