I have just been advised by my mortgage adviser that my Curdworth lawyer is not on the bank Conveyancing panel. How can I be certain if this is indeed the case?

You need to call your Curdworth lawyer directly. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to notify you of the situation. If they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the conveyancing panel for your lender.

My husband and I are refinancing our penthouse in Curdworth with HSBC. We have a son 18 who lives with us. Our solicitor has asked us to disclose any adults other than ourselves who lives in the flat. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the property is forfeited by the lender. I have a couple of concerns (1) Is this form unique to the HSBC conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we remortgaged 4 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this compromise his rights to inherit the property?

On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to HSBC. This is solely used to protect HSBC if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of HSBC had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

We see that you have a search directory identifying law firms on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a commission if I instruct them for our own conveyancing in Curdworth?

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

I have been advised by my lawyer that missing deeds insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Curdworth?

The right level of missing deeds indemnity insurance depends on who your lender is. It would differ for example between Nationwide Building Society and Barnsley Building Society. Conveyancing solicitors as opposed to members of the public take out such insurances.

Is it correct that all Curdworth CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Santander conveyancing list of approved solicitors?

Some major lenders now make use of CQS as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to join their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.

My husband and I have arranged a further advance on our home loan from Principality as we want to conduct a loft conversion to our property in Curdworth. Do we need to choose a local Curdworth solicitor on the Principality conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Principality would not normally require 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 Principality conveyancing panel.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Curdworth with the purpose of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Curdworth can be bypassed if you appoint lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and ask them to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ solicitors.
You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to verify this by asking your lawyers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to where the lease term is less than 80 years. In the circumstances it is important at an early stage that you consider whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale. If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should make sure that you hold the original share document. Obtaining a replacement share certificate is often a lengthy formality and slows down many a Curdworth conveyancing transaction. Where a duplicate share certificate is necessary, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this as soon as possible. If there is a history of conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are settled before the property is put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be concerned about purchasing a flat where there is a current dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved. Many landlords or Management Companies in Curdworth charge for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Curdworth.

I acquired a studio flat in Curdworth, conveyancing formalities finalised in 1996. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Equivalent properties in Curdworth with a long lease are worth £176,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease expires on 21st October 2106

You have 80 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as costs.

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. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.