We are planning to acquire a 2 bedroom flat in Portland with a mortgage. We have a Portland lawyer, however the mortgage company says he's not on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to instruct one of the lender panel solicitors or continue with our Portland property lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. This feels very unfair; can we not require that the mortgage company use our Portland conveyancing practitioner ?

No, not really. The mortgage offered to you 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 Portland conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

I am downsizing from my property. My previous solicitors has retired. I would be grateful for any recommendation of a conveyancing firm. I happen to live in Portland if that affects matters.

Please use our search tool to help you find a solicitor for your conveyancing in Portland. We have connected thousands of home buyers and sellers with lender approved solicitors to ensure that the legalities of their house move goes with a minimum of fuss.

I need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor for leasehold conveyancing in Portland. I have chance upon a site which appears to be the perfect answer If it is possible to get all formalities completed via phone that would be preferable. Do I need to be concerned? What are the potential pitfalls?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Portland with the aim of speeding up the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Portland can be reduced where you instruct lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ lawyers.
If you have carried out any alterations to the premises would they have required Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Portland state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord approving such works. Should you dont have the consents in place do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your lawyer before hand. Some Portland leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the annual 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. Many freeholders or managing agents in Portland levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold home. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management information can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Portland. If you have had any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled before the property is put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where there is a current dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge any arrears of service charge or settle 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 are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as historic rather than unsettled.

I acquired a ground floor flat in Portland, conveyancing formalities finalised January 2008. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Comparable flats in Portland with an extended lease are worth £191,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 per annum. The lease finishes on 21st October 2078

With 53 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £27,600 and £31,800 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

I bought a property in Portland last 19/6/2024 and to date it is still not recorded with HM Land Registry. It was part of a development site and my conveyancing practitioner told me that it can take 12 months to complete the registration formalities. I have called the Land Registry directly and they say that the original application was cancelled due to failure to reply to requisitions. Do I need to be concerned?

Call your lawyer - if you are not getting sensible responses, find out about their internal complaints process and amplify your problem to a Partner. Registrations for Portland conveyancing are not known to be especially complex.