I am progressing with the sale of my flat in Buckley and the EA has just e-mailed to warn that the buyers are switching property lawyer. The excuse is that the bank will only engage with solicitors on their approved list. Why would a big named mortgage company only work with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to appoint to handle their conveyancing in Buckley ?

Banks have always had an approved set of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the last few years big names such as HSBC, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for over 25 years.

Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.

Should lawyers ask for money up-front for conveyancing in Buckley?

If you are buying a property in Buckley your solicitor will request that you place them with monies to cover the search fees. This will be the total of the cost of the Local Authority Search. If any deposit is as part of the sale price then this will be required shortly prior to exchange of contracts. Any further balance that is needed will be payable a couple of days ahead of the day of completion.

It has been three months following my purchase conveyancing in Buckley concluded. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £150,000 when infact I paid £170,000. 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 asset 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.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Buckley. Conveyancing and Chelsea Building Society mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1992. The conveyancing solicitor in Buckley who acted for me is not around. Any advice?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to instruct a Buckley conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I bought a leasehold flat in Buckley, conveyancing was carried out in 2010. How much will my lease extension cost? Equivalent flats in Buckley with a long lease are worth £222,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease terminates on 21st October 2095

With just 70 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

At last I have had an offer on an apartment in Buckley agreed to, but there is a chain. The current proprietors have submitted an offer on on an apartment, but it’s not been accepted yet, and are looking at other properties booked. I have chosen a nearby conveyancing lawyer in Buckley. What do I do now? At what point should I apply for the mortgage with Lloyds?

It is usual to have concerns where there is an associated chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (mortgage application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then valuation, Buckley conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you must check that your solicitor is on the Lloyds approved list. As to the subsequent steps this very much depends on the circumstances of your transaction, desire for the property and on the state of the market. During a hot market some home buyers will apply for the mortgage with Lloyds and arrange for the survey and only if it was satisfactory would they request their conveyancing practitioner to proceed with searches.