I am in the process of selling my house in Peacehaven and the estate agent has just telephoned to warn that the buyers are appointing a new conveyancer. The excuse is that the mortgage company will only engage with property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a leading mortgage company only work with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to appoint to handle their conveyancing in Peacehaven ?

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

Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to reveal 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 do not even realise 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 sway in the decision.

We hope to to buy with Loughborough BS. I dropped in a couple of high street firms yet am unable to find a Peacehaven conveyancing firm on the Loughborough BS approved list. Please you help?

Feel free to take advantage of the search tool on this site. Please choose the building society and type Peacehaven or your location and you will see a number of lawyer offices in Peacehaven or by proximity to you.

My colleague recommended that where I am purchasing in Peacehaven I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Peacehaven conveyancing searches. It is a large report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Peacehaven around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Peacehaven Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Peacehaven Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Peacehaven.

My husband and I are new to the buying process - agreed a price, yet the agent told us that the seller will only go ahead if we appoint their recommended conveyancers as they want a ‘quick sale’. My instinct tells me that we should use a high street conveyancer who is familiar with conveyancing in Peacehaven

We suspect that the seller is unaware of this requirement. If they require ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a serious purchaser is likely to cause more damage than good. Speak to the vendors direct and make the point that (a)you are genuine buyers (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances arranged © you have nothing to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you are going to use your own,trusted Peacehaven conveyancing firm - not the ones that will give their estate agent a introducer fee or meet his conveyancing targets set by corporate headquarters.

What makes a Peacehaven lease unmortgageable?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Peacehaven. Most leases are unique and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain clauses are wrong. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts. A duty to insure the building

You may have a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Halifax, Leeds Building Society, and Britannia all have very detailed conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to provide security, obliging the buyer to withdraw.

I acquired a leasehold flat in Peacehaven, conveyancing formalities finalised 10 years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent properties in Peacehaven with a long lease are worth £206,000. The ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease ends on 21st October 2091

With 66 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £11,400 and £13,200 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.