My apartment in St Albans is up for sale and I have a buyer. Will the conveyancing practitioner have to be required to be on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel in order to deal with repayment of my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their panel criteria fairly frequently currently.

There are numerous conveyancing solicitors in St Albans but how do I know who I should use?

It would be unwise to be tempted by the cheapest St Albans conveyancing fees. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

I have been advised by my solicitor that chancel insurance is required on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in St Albans?

The right level of chancel indemnity insurance should be dictated by who who your lender is. It would differ for example between Nationwide Building Society and The Royal Bank of Scotland. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to members of the public take out such policies.

Is there a list of Principality panel conveyancers in St Albans on the Building Society Association’s Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such tool on the CML or Building Society Association websites. Very few mortgage companies make their panel listings available over the internet. Where you are in need of a St Albans lawyer on the Principality please use our facility.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and found one close by in St Albans I like with open areas and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 61 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in St Albans in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?

If you require a home loan that many years will be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you could ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

Hoping to buy a property located in St Albans and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about St Albans. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the St Albans area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at St Albans. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

Can you offer any advice when it comes to finding a St Albans conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a St Albans conveyancing practice) it is essential 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 St Albans conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be of use:

If they are not ALEP accredited then why not? How familiar is the firm with lease extension legislation?

I invested in buying a ground floor flat in St Albans, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding properties in St Albans with an extended lease are worth £201,000. The ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease terminates on 21st October 2089

With just 64 years left to run the likely cost is going to span between £14,300 and £16,400 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.