My husband and I are looking to acquire a flat in Finchampstead and have instructed a Finchampstead conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Barclays Direct have this evening contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Finchampstead conveyancer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?

Where you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Finchampstead solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

Is there a reason why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Finchampstead costs more?

Finchampstead leasehold conveyancing transactions usually involve additional investigations than freeholds including investigating the Lease, liaising with the Landlord such as serving appropriate notices on the Landlord or managing agent, obtaining up-to-date service charge and management information, obtaining Landlord’s consents and reviewing management accounts and formation documents.

I am purchasing a flat and require a conveyancing solicitor in Finchampstead who is on the Santander approved. Could you point me in the right direction as regards a conveyancing firm?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Santander in certain locations such as Finchampstead. We dont recommend any particular firm.

I'm buying a new build house in Finchampstead with the aid of help to buy. The builders would not budge the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep advised me not to tell my solicitor about the deal as it will put at risk my loan with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £245,000 and found one round the corner in Finchampstead I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, the downside is that it only has 52 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Finchampstead suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will be an issue. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.