The lawyer who assisted with my last purchase has given a fee estimate just over a thousand pound for leasehold conveyancing in Lincoln. I am selling a modern detached home for £225,000. Are these conveyancing fees excessive? Is it above what I should be paying for conveyancing in Lincoln?

The charges are a tad high. If you shop around you could trim some of the expense by perhaps £100 plus VAT. That being said, you maylive to regret opting for an an untested conveyancer. Remember to ensure the conveyancer can represent your mortgage company. Do utilise our comparison tool to select a Lincoln conveyancing practice on the banks approved list of lawyers which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Lincoln.

I am need of leasehold conveyancing for an apartment in a fairly new development (five years old) in Lincoln. The vast majority the properties have already been sold. Do I need carry out the local searches for my conveyancing in Lincoln?

Conveyancing Searches are a vital link in the Lincoln conveyancing process. There are hundreds search providers delivering Lincoln conveyancing searches, as well straight from the local authority. These are usually referred to as personal search companies and they produce, not surprisingly, personal searches. Nevertheless, all Local Authority Search conveyancing products have one thing in common - they must obtain their information from the local authoritative source.

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Santander, do Lincoln conveyancers face a yearly amount to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are unaware of any mortgage company fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Lincoln. I have a mortgage offer with HSBC. 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 HSBC, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the HSBC conveyancing panel.

The mortgage over my property is with Nationwide for my property in Lincoln. Conveyancing has been completed some time ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Nationwide?

Your original mortgage agreement with Nationwide will provide that you need their approval prior to renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Nationwide’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Nationwide will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Nationwide directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Nationwide conveyancing panel firm.

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and found one close by in Lincoln I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it's only got 52 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Lincoln for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?

Should you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term may be an issue. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you may ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this.

We are midway through purchasing a residence in Lincoln. Conveyancing lawyer has told us the title is "Leasehold". Does this adversely affect the salability of the house?

Lincoln conveyancing does not usually involve leasehold houses. The main factor here is the unexpired lease term and the ground rent. If it's 999 years with a peppercorn rent, it's virtually freehold, so it’s unlikely to affect the value too much.

At the other extreme, if it's, say, 50 years it will have a material effect on the saleability, and most likely wouldn't be mortgageable. The length of lease and ground rent will be specified in the lease which should be made available to your conveyancer.