Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Colne is not listed on my lender's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of her work?

It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) lack of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should contact the Colne conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.

We see that you have a post code search directory listing solicitors on the conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a referral fee if I appoint them for our own conveyancing in Colne?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Colne.

We wanted to use a property lawyer in Colne for our house move. Our financial adviser has since notified us that our mortgage company won't deal with them. Why is this not regarded as unduly restrictive?

Lenders tend to imposes restrictions either the type or the amount of conveyancing practices on their panel. Typical examples of such criteria being that a law practice must not be a sole practitioner. As well as restricting the profile of firm, some have limited the amount of solicitor practices they permit to represent them. Be aware that have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels since 2008 even though there remains mixed views regarding the level of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Data from the Land Registry indicate that thousands of law firms, including some in or near Colne only carry out a couple conveyances a year.

I have just started marketing my garden flat in Colne. Conveyancing has not commenced, but I have recently received a yearly service charge demand – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge the maintenance contribution as you normally would as all rents and maintenance charges will be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I inherited a basement flat in Colne, conveyancing was carried out 1995. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Comparable flats in Colne with a long lease are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 50

With 50 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £36,100 and £41,800 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.

Developers have recommended to me a and I've obtained an estimate from them. They are almost £400 cheaper than my preferred Colne . What's the catch?

Housebuilders often have lists of who are quick and who know the developer’s documentation and . Plenty of developers offer an incentive to choose their approved for this reason, any increased charges can be avoided and a developer will not put forward a conveyancing factory and run the risk of having the conveyancing delayed when they demand an exchange in 28 days. A counter-argument for not opting for the suggested is that they may prove reluctant to 'push' your interests at the risk of upsetting the housebuilder. If you worry that this may be the case you should remain with your local Colne .