I had intended to instruct a property lawyer in Onslow Village for our home move. Our broker has since advised us that our mortgage lenders Birmingham Midshires won't deal with them. Why is this not regarded as unduly restrictive?

Lenders on the whole restrict either the type or the number of conveyancing solicitors on their approved list of lawyers. A common example of such criteria being that a law practice must not be a sole practitioner. As well as restricting the type of firm, a few lenders have limited the number of solicitor practices they use to represent them. Be aware that Birmingham Midshires have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Birmingham Midshires Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the reduction of solicitor panels since 2008 even though there remains differing opinions regarding the extent of solicitor engagement in some of that fraud. Data from the Land Registry indicate that plenty of law firms, including some in or near Onslow Village only execute one or two conveyances a year.

Can you help - my lawyer advises that breach of easement insurance is required on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Onslow Village?

The appropriate level of breach of easement indemnity insurance depends on who your lender is. It would differ for example between Lloyds TSB Bank and The Mortgage Works. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to members of the public take out such insurances.

I am the only recipient of my late father’s estate and I have everything in my name alone, including the my former home in Onslow Village. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in June. I now wish to sell up. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', which means that my proprietorship could be regarded the same way as if I'd bought the property in June. Is the property unsalable for six months?

The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook obliges conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you may be caught by that. many lenders would take a practical view as this clause primarily exists to pick up on subsales or the quick reselling of property.

My wife and I have organised the release of further monies on our home loan from UBS as we want to carry out alterations to our house in Onslow Village. Do we need to appoint a local Onslow Village solicitor on the UBS conveyancing panel to handle the paperwork?

UBS do not ordinarily appoint a member of their approved list of lawyers to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the UBS conveyancing panel.

Should my solicitor be raising enquiries about flooding during the conveyancing in Onslow Village.

Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors dealing with homes in Onslow Village. There are those who buy a house in Onslow Village, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical damage, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, satisfactory insurance cover, or sell the premises. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Solicitors are not qualified to offer advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous searches that can be initiated by the purchaser or by their solicitors which can give them a better understanding of the risks in Onslow Village. The conventional set of property information forms supplied to a buyer’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) contains a standard question of the vendor to find out if the premises has suffered from flooding. In the event that the premises has been flooded in past and is not notified by the seller, then a buyer may issue a legal claim for losses as a result of such an misleading reply. The buyer’s solicitors will also conduct an enviro report. This should higlight whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, further investigations will need to be conducted.

My husband and I are 17 days into a leasehold purchase having been referred to conveyancers by the high street agent to carry out the conveyancing in Onslow Village. We are not happy. Can you help me find new conveyancers?

They would need to be really poor in order to consider replacing them. Has the mortgage been sent? In the event that it has you must make them aware of the new lawyer and have the loan are re-sent. The solicitor ideally needs to be on the mortgage company approved list to avoid added expenses and delays. That should be your starting point. Our find a solicitor tool will help you find a bank approved conveyancer for your home move in Onslow Village

Back In 2003, I bought a leasehold house in Onslow Village. Conveyancing and National Westminster Bank mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing practitioner in Onslow Village who acted for me is not around. What should I do?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to be sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Onslow Village conveyancing practitioner to do this as it can be done on-line for a few pound. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I invested in buying a basement flat in Onslow Village, conveyancing having been completed November 2000. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar flats in Onslow Village with over 90 years remaining are worth £197,000. The ground rent is £55 charged once a year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2080

With only 55 years left to run the likely cost is going to span between £31,400 and £36,200 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.