I am nearing exchange of contracts for my maisonette in Quorn and the EA has just telephoned to say that the buyers are changing their conveyancer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the mortgage company will only engage with property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a leading lender only engage with specific lawyers rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Quorn ?

Lenders have always had an approved set of law firms that can act for them, but in the past few years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for many years.

Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms are unaware that 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 unlikely to have any sway in the decision.

Our son is purchasing a house that has just been built in Quorn with a home loan from Nationwide. His conveyancer has said that there is a delay in receiving the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. What is this document - I have never come across this before?

The form is intended to provide information to the main parties engaged in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Nationwide conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the valuer when requested. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Nationwide conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

I have been sourcing a conveyancing solicitor in Quorn for my sale. Is there any facility to review a firm’s complaints history with the profession’s regulator?

One can review published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations resulting from investigations commenced on or after 1 January 2008. Go to Check a solicitor's record. For records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors history, ring 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For non-uk callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator may monitor call for training reasons.

I am looking at a two maisonettes in Quorn which have approximately forty five years unexpired on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

There is no doubt about it. A leasehold apartment in Quorn is a deteriorating asset as a result of the reducing lease term. The nearer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it adversely affects the marketability of the premises. For most purchasers and lenders, leases with less than eighty years become less and less attractive. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the property for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of premises with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Quorn conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease. You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that any new terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

I invested in buying a 1st floor flat in Quorn, conveyancing having been completed in 2003. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar flats in Quorn with a long lease are worth £206,000. The ground rent is £45 yearly. The lease finishes on 21st October 2090

With only 65 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £13,300 and £15,400 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.

Sixweeks into a sale of a flat in Quorn. Conveyancing lawyers are doing their job but we have been asked to pay an extortionate amount from the freeholder. So far we have issued a cheque for £225 for a leasehold management information and then another £200 plus VAT for responses to queries raised by the purchaser's conveyancer.

You will not have any say over the level of the fee for this information but the typical costs for the information for Quorn leasehold premises is £350. When it comes to Quorn conveyancing sales it is customary for the owner to pay for these charges. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to address these questions although many will be content to do so - albeit often at high prices out of proportion to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no statute that requires capped charges for administrative tasks. There is no set time limit by which they are obliged to provide the information.