My husband and I are planning to purchase a 2 bedroom apartment in Oldland with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Oldland solicitor, but the mortgage company advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel conveyancing practices or keep our Oldland property lawyer and pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. We feel that this is inequitable; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Oldland conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

We are looking to buy a property and need a conveyancing solicitor in Oldland who is on the UBS solicitor panel. Could you point me in the right direction as regards a solicitor?

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

My bank has recommended a law firm on their panel based in Oldland but I would rather choose a conveyancing lawyer in Oldland or nearer to where I live. Are you able to assist?

It is by no means the case that all Oldland conveyancing solicitors are on all banks conveyancing panel. Use our search tool to choose a Oldland conveyancing solicitor on the on the mortgage company panel.

How do I locate a Oldland solicitor on the Godiva Mortgages Ltd conveyancing panel? I drive a motor bike and am happy to travel upto 10miles to meet the solicitor.

Feel free to make use of the tool on this page. Please pick a bank and your location and you will see a number of Oldland conveyancing lawyers locally. We have detailed some Oldland conveyancing firms towards the end of this page and you can call them to verify if they are on the Godiva Mortgages Ltd member panel

Last April I purchased a leasehold house in Oldland. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Oldland Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should ask before buying

Many Oldland leasehold flats will incur a service charge for the upkeep of the building levied by the freeholder. Should you acquire the flat you will have to meet this charge, normally in instalments throughout the year. This can vary from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large common areas. In all probability there will be a ground rent to be met yearly, ordinarily this is not a significant figure, say about £50-£100 but you should to enquire as sometimes it could be many hundreds of pounds. This information is useful as a) areas could cause problems for the building as the communal areas may start to deteriorate if services remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have an issue with the managing agents you will wish to have all the details How is the lease structured?