I am progressing with the sale of my flat in Lower Earley and the estate agent has just text me to advise that the purchasers are appointing a new property lawyer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the bank will only engage with solicitors on their approved list. On what basis would a major lender only deal with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Lower Earley ?

Lenders have always had panels of law firms they are content to work with, but in the last few years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for decades.

Lending institutions blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The purchasers are not going to have any impact on this.

We are planning to acquire a house and require a conveyancing solicitor in Lower Earley who is on the Lloyds approved panel. Could you point me in the right direction as regards a firm?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Lloyds . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Lower Earley.

A colleague suggested that if I am purchasing in Lower Earley I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is usually included in the estimate for your Lower Earley conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing important information about Lower Earley around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Lower Earley Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Lower Earley.

The deeds to our property can not be found. The lawyers who dealt with the conveyancing in Lower Earley 4 years ago have long since closed. What do I do?

You no longer need to have the physical deeds to establish that you are the owner of your registered land or property, as the Land Registry hold details of all registered land or property electronically.

I today plan to offer on a house that appears to be perfect, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have just been informed that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Lower Earley. Conveyancing advisers have are about to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Lower Earley are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Lower Earley in which case you should be shopping around for a Lower Earley conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in advising on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a lessee you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions such as obtaining the landlord’spermission to carry out changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your solicitor will advise you fully on all the issues.

I am the registered owner of a garden flat in Lower Earley, conveyancing having been completed 3 years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable flats in Lower Earley with over 90 years remaining are worth £206,000. The ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease terminates on 21st October 2091

With 66 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £11,400 and £13,200 as well as costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.