The owners of the property we are looking to purchase hired a conveyancing firm in Queen's Park who has recommended a preliminary agreement with a payment 6,000. Is it wise to enter into such agreements?

This form of preliminary agreement is not the norm in Queen's Park, conveyancers are not keen on them as they detract from the primary objective, namely conveyancing and if you end up losing your deposit then the lawyer at best left with an upset client and at worst a litigious one. Secondly, there is no guarantee that just because the vendor has executed a lock out agreement they will sell to you. They may be in contravention of the agreement if they are offered a big enough financial inducement to do so because an aggrieved buyer with the benefit of a lockout agreement will still be obliged show losses as a consequence of the breach and this may not equalise the financial benefit that your seller may gain by reneging on the contract, no matter how morally reprehensible that may be.

My husband and I have arranged the release of further monies on our mortgage from Co-operative as we intend to conduct renovations to our property in Queen's Park. Do we need to choose a high street Queen's Park solicitor on the Co-operative conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Co-operative do not ordinarily instruct firms on 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 Co-operative conveyancing panel.

We have a mortgage agreed in principle with Santander. Queen's Park conveyancing solicitors have been selected. How long does it take for Santander to send the offer to the conveyancing practitioner?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Santander completed the valuation? Have you informed Santander as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Santander conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Queen's Park. I have a mortgage agreed with Leeds Building Society. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Leeds Building Society, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel.

I am buying my first flat in Queen's Park with the aid of help to buy. The sellers would not budge the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The sale representative advised me not inform my solicitor about the deal as it could adversely affect my mortgage with Birmingham Midshires. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

My cousin has recommend that I use his lawyers for conveyancing in Queen's Park. Should I find my own conveyancer?

There are no two ways about it it’s preferable to select a conveyancing lawyer is to have guidance from friends or family who have used the firm that you are are thinking of instructing.

What are your top tips when it comes to choosing a Queen's Park conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Queen's Park conveyancing practice) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you talk with two or three firms including non Queen's Park conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions could be of use:

If they are not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?

Despite our best efforts, we have been unsuccessful in trying to reach an agreement for a lease extension in Queen's Park. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

if there is a missing freeholder or where there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant statutes you can apply to the LVT to determine the price.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a Queen's Park premises is 4 & 4A Charteris Road in June 2009. the Tribunal held that the price to be paid for the enfranchisement of 4/4a Charteris Road to be £15,510 for at 4and £15,694 for at 4a This case affected 2 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 70.02 years.