I happen to be the only beneficiary of my late grandmother’s estate and I have everything in my name alone, including the my former home in Yatton. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in October. I now wish to sell up. I do know about the Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', meaning my property ownership will be treated the same way as though I had purchased the property in October. Is the property unsalable for six months?

The CML handbook instructs conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you could be affected by that. How practical a view mortgage companies take of it, depend on the bank as this obligation is principally there to capture subsales or the flipping of properties.

Can you point me to a directory of UBS panel conveyancers in Yatton on the Building Society Association’s Website?

No. There is no such tool on the CML or Building Society Association sites. A small selection of mortgage companies make their panel listings open the public on the web. Where you are seeking to appoint a Yatton lawyer on the UBS please make the most of our facility.

After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Yatton. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their conveyancer. I paid an upfront payment of £150. A few days later, the solicitor contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Co-operative panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I have todaybeen informed that Wolstenholmes have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Yatton for a purchase of a freehold house 18 months ago. How can I check that my home is not still registered in the name of the former proprietor?

The quickest method to see if the premises is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Yatton conveyancing specialists.

How does conveyancing in Yatton differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Yatton approach us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is constructed. This is because builders in Yatton typically buy the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Yatton or who has acted in the same development.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £245,000 and found one round the corner in Yatton I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 52 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Yatton suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?

Should you require a mortgage that many years may be problematic. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you may request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.

Last June I purchased a leasehold property in Yatton. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I purchased a split level flat in Yatton, conveyancing formalities finalised April 2004. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Equivalent flats in Yatton with over 90 years remaining are worth £222,000. The ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease terminates on 21st October 2096

With only 71 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.