Is the fact that my conveyancer in Lincolnshire is not identified on my bank's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of his work?

It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed 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. Where you are concerned you should simply call the Lincolnshire conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.

AssumingI was to acquire a simple residential housein Lincolnshire for cash and dispense with a survey and no local authority searches how much should I expect to have to pay for conveyancing in Lincolnshire?

Any savings you would make will be limited to the disbursement for searches. A solicitor still be obliged to do everything else - money laundering, correspond with your sellers lawyer, stamp duty return, register the property etc. You might save a bit for them not having to register a charge but it won't be significant.

When reading consumer advice sites for a conveyancing lawyer in Lincolnshire, many say that I should use a CQS kitemarked lawyer. What is CQS?

The Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme is the recognised kitemark for legal experts in buying or selling property, trusted by some of the UK's biggest banks. Four years ago the Conveyancing Quality Scheme was officially recognised by the Legal Ombudsman. CQS is not a scheme offered by the Society for Licensed Conveyancers. Lincolnshire is one of the numerous areas in England and Wales where there are CQS solicitors.

My wife and I have a 4 bedroom Georgian property in Lincolnshire. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and HSBC Bank. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the matching property. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Lincolnshire and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also check the position with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the purchase.

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Lincolnshire from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Lincolnshire can be reduced where you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ representatives.
In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Lincolnshire leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord consenting to such works. Where you dont have the consents to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without contacting your solicitor in the first instance. If there is a history of any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved prior to the flat being marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of 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 better to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved. A minority of Lincolnshire leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors. The majority of landlords or Management Companies in Lincolnshire charge for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most usual cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Lincolnshire.

I acquired a studio flat in Lincolnshire, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2000. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Comparable properties in Lincolnshire with an extended lease are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 per annum. The lease finishes on 21st October 2102

With just 76 years left to run the likely cost is going to span between £7,600 and £8,800 as well as costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more detailed investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.