My partner and I are hoping to buy a home in Henllan and have appointed a Henllan conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our solicitor has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Norwich and Peterborough Building Society have this morning contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Henllan solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?

If you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is standard for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent the purchaser's lender. 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 mortgage company 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 and you may continue to use your own Henllan solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.

I am considering applying for a Leeds Building Society mortgage for purchase of a newly converted (under development) in Henllan with 65 per cent LTV. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Leeds Building Society ?

There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor, but Leeds Building Society will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is greater potential for delays and confusion with two solicitors involved, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.

This question may be naive but I am unexperienced as FTB of a two bedroom flat in Henllan. Do I pick up the keys to the property on completion from my lawyer? If so, I will instruct a local conveyancing solicitor in Henllan?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will electronically transfer the purchase money to the owner’s conveyancers, and once they have received this, you will be able to receive the keys from the selling Agents and move into your new home. Usually this happens between 1 and 3pm.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Henllan. I have a mortgage agreed with Virgin Money. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Virgin Money, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.

I have finally had an offer on an apartment in Henllan agreed to, but there is a chain. The sellers have placed an offer on a flat, however it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other flats booked. I have instructed a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Henllan. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with Santander going?

It is usual to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (mortgage application is in the region of £1k, then survey, Henllan conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you must ensure that your lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel. As to the subsequent stages this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your transaction, motivation for this property and on the state of the market. During a buoyant market the majority of home buyers will apply for a home loan with Santander and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they ask their conveyancing practitioner to press on with the conveyancing in Henllan.

How does conveyancing in Henllan differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Henllan approach us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is built. This is because developers in Henllan usually buy the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Henllan or who has acted in the same development.

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Henllan. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Henllan - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I own a garden flat in Henllan, conveyancing was carried out 8 years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent flats in Henllan with over 90 years remaining are worth £176,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease expires on 21st October 2105

You have 80 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range 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 a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.