My partner and I are hoping to purchase a property in Canford Cliffs and have appointed a Canford Cliffs conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our conveyancer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. have this evening contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Canford Cliffs solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. Is this a problem?

When purchasing a property with mortgage finance 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 Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Canford Cliffs lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

Do I need to have a meeting at the offices of the solicitor to execute the mortgage deed? If so, I will instruct a firm who offer conveyancing in Canford Cliffs so that I can pop in to their offices if required.

These days conveyancing panel lawyers for banks undertake the vast majority of work via the post, internet or over the phone. This means that they can undertake the legal work for your home move regardless of where you live in the country. Nevertheless you should check if you have the option of going to the offices of your conveyancing lawyer if needed.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £245,000 and found one near me in Canford Cliffs I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 49 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Canford Cliffs for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?

Should you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.

In my capacity as executor for the will of my grandmother I am selling a property in Swansea but reside in Canford Cliffs. My lawyer (who is 250 miles from meneeds me to execute a statutory declaration before the transaction finalising. Can you recommend a conveyancing solicitor in Canford Cliffs who can witness and place their company stamp on the document?

Technically speaking you are not likely to need to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or qualified solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are based in Canford Cliffs

I own a studio flat in Canford Cliffs, conveyancing having been completed in 1995. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Comparable flats in Canford Cliffs with over 90 years remaining are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease ceases on 21st October 50

You have 50 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £36,100 and £41,800 plus legals.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.