We are purchasing a property in Clent. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a solicitor? On completion day we have to deposit our life savings into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our money?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

I am helping my mother sell her property in Clent. Does the conveyancer commission the energy assessment or do I organise this?

Following the demise of Home Packs, EPC’s was left as a mandatory element of selling a house. An energy assessment must be to hand before the property is marketed. It is not something that conveyancers ordinarily arrange. If you are instructing a Clent conveyancing lawyer they may help arrange EPC’s due to their contacts with reputable local providers

Our sealed bid on a detached house in Clent has been accepted, but there is a chain. The vendors have placed an offer on somewhere, however it’s not yet agreed to, and are looking at other properties booked. I have selected a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Clent. What should be my next step? When should I get the mortgage application with TSB going?

It is normal to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (home loan application is approx £1k, then valuation, Clent conveyancing search costs, etc). First, you must check that your property lawyer is on the TSB conveyancing panel. Regarding the subsequent phase this very much depends on the uniqueness of your transaction, desire for this property and on the state of the market. During a hot market some buyers will apply for a home loan with TSB and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their conveyancer to move forward with searches.

We are selling our property in Clent and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being constructed land that was not decontaminated. A high street Clent lawyer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers are using a national conveyancing outfit as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Clent. Having lived in Clent for 5 years we know that this is a non issue. Do we get in touch with our local Authority to seek clarification that the buyers are looking for.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing firm already. What do they say? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same sickness)

I'm converting the mortgage on my current house to a buy to let mortgage with Coventry Building Society and intend to use the remaining equity as a deposit on a second property. The neighborhood we are talking about is Clent. Will your conveyancers be able to act for both sets of lenders and tie in the transactions?

Make use of our search tool on this page to be sure that the solicitors are on the appropriate lender panels. On the basis that they are your lawyer should be able to tie up the two transactions but you should have a chat with you solicitor and communicate your expectations and needs.

I am attracted to a couple of flats in Clent both have approximately fifty years remaining on the leases. Will this present a problem?

A lease is a right to use the premises for a prescribed time frame. As a lease shortens the value of the lease decreases and it becomes more costly to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is generally wise to increase the term of the lease. More often than not it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease as mortgage lenders may be reluctant to lend money on such properties. Lease enfranchisement can be a protracted process. We recommend you get professional help from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this area.

I purchased a 1 bedroom flat in Clent, conveyancing was carried out February 2011. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable flats in Clent with a long lease are worth £211,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 charged once a year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2093

You have 68 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.

My husband and I are buying a studio flat in Clent. At the point of instructing our property lawyer, we were told they were on all major UK lender panels. Our financial adviser contacted us yesterday to advise that they don't appear to be on the TSB approved list. Were it to be true, what should we do? Do we simply pick a new conveyancing practitioner that is on their approved list or should we cover the costs for separate representation, with TSB appointing their own approved conveyancer.

When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is usual for the buyer’s lawyers to also act for the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a lawyer has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the property lawyer to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict conditions which the conveyancer has to satisfy. Some building societies now insist their panel firms to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your lawyer should call TSB and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on TSB's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Clent lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.