We are buying a 2 bedroom apartment in Ripley with a mortgage. We would like to retain our Ripley conveyancer, however the mortgage company says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel conveyancing practices or continue with our Ripley conveyancer as well as pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. This seems very unfair; are we not able to demand that the bank use our Ripley property lawyer ?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’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 Ripley conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

My wife and I buying a 4 bedroom semi-detached house in Ripley. The intention is to carry out an extension to the side at the property.Will the conveyancing process involve enquiries to determine if these works were previously refused?

Your conveyancer should review the deeds as conveyancing in Ripley can occasionally identify restrictions in the title documents which prevent certain works or require the permission of another owner. Many extensions call for local authority planning permissions and approval in compliance with building regulations. Some locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

I'm the single beneficiary of my late mum's will with all property in now in my sole name, including the my former home in Ripley. The Ripley property was put into my name in June. I want to move. I do know about the CML six month 'rule', which means that my property ownership could be regarded the same way as though I had purchased the property in June. Will no one buy the property for half a year?

The CML handbook mandates conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you might be caught by that. Most lenders would take a pragmatic view as this clause is primarily there to identify subsales or the wholesaling and assigning of properties.

The mortgage over my property is with Santander for my property in Ripley. Conveyancing was finalised 12 months ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Santander?

You must advise Santander prior to letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Santander’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Santander directly. You need not do this via a Santander conveyancing panel firm.

I am buying a new build apartment in Ripley. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Here is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Ripley

Please provide evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier? If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what should have been a simple, no chain conveyancing. Ripley is where the house is located. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Ripley are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Ripley you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Ripley may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Ripley. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and most are in Ripley - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I own a 2 bed flat in Ripley, conveyancing formalities finalised in 1996. How much will my lease extension cost? Equivalent flats in Ripley with a long lease are worth £265,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease expires on 21st October 2101

You have 76 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.