My financial adviser has asked me for my Winton lawyer’ panel member for the HSBC conveyancing panel. How do I discover this. I have tried my local Winton branch but they cant find it on their system.

You are best placed to get this information from your Winton conveyancer . They retain a central record lender panel numbers.

We wish to acquire a newbuild flat in Winton with a mortgage from Alliance & Leicester .We would like to retain our Winton conveyancing lawyer but Alliance & Leicester advised that his firm is not on their approved list of firms. We have to appoint a Alliance & Leicester panel solicitor or retain our high street solicitor and fork out for a Alliance & Leicester panel lawyer to represent them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that Alliance & Leicester use our lawyer?

Unfortunately,no. The home loan issued to you contains various provisions, one of which will be that conveyancers will be on the Alliance & Leicester solicitor panel. in the past, most mortgage companies had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could find 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 lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Alliance & Leicester

My solicitor has informed me that lack of building regulations insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Winton?

The right level of lack of building regulations indemnity insurance depends on who your lender is. It would differ for example between National Westminster Bank and Barnsley Building Society. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to members of the public take out such insurances.

My husband and I have arranged a further advance on our mortgage from Skipton as we wish to carry out a loft conversion to our property in Winton. Do we need to appoint a local Winton solicitor on the Skipton conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?

Skipton do not ordinarily instruct firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Skipton list.

Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Nottingham. Winton conveyancing solicitors are appointed. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Nottingham?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Nottingham conducted the valuation? Have you informed Nottingham as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Nottingham conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £195,000 and found one near me in Winton I like with amenity areas and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 51 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Winton for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?

If you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease will likely be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you could ask them to start the process of the extension 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 consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

I only have 62 years left on my flat in Winton. I am keen to get lease extension but my landlord is can not be found. What should I do?

On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to locate the lessor. For most situations an enquiry agent should be useful to conduct investigations and to produce an expert document to be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer in relation to proving the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court overseeing Winton.

I am the registered owner of a garden flat in Winton, conveyancing was carried out in 1996. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Winton with an extended lease are worth £206,000. The ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2091

You have 66 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £12,400 and £14,200 plus legals.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.