I am selling my maisonette in Machen and the estate agent has just e-mailed to warn that the buyers are appointing a new property lawyer. The reason given is that the lender will only deal with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a leading lender only work with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in Machen ?

Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms that can act for them, but in the last few years big names such as Santander, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for more than 25 years.

Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise 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 not going to have any sway in the decision.

We note that you have a post code search directory listing firms on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a referral fee if I retain them for our own conveyancing in Machen?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Machen.

I have justdiscovered that Stirling Law have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in Machen for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 10 months ago. How can I establish that the property is registered correctly in the name of the former proprietor?

The quickest way to check if the property is in your name, 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 Machen conveyancing specialists.

Due to exchange soon on a basement flat in Machen. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they are sending me a report within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Machen should include some of the following:

What options are open to you if a neighbour is in violation of a provision in their lease? Details of the parties to the lease, e.g. these could be the lessee, superior lessor, freeholder You should receive a copy of the lease You must be informed what counts as a Nuisance in the lease Responsibility to repair and maintain the block. It is important for you to know who is responsible the repair and maintenance of all parts of the block and communal areas

I acquired a 1 bedroom flat in Machen, conveyancing was carried out in 2007. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Corresponding flats in Machen with over 90 years remaining are worth £206,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2092

With just 66 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £12,400 and £14,200 plus costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.

We are about to purchasing a house in Machen. Could our lawyer keep the amount we are are buying for private from the likes of Rightmove. How can this be achieved ?

HM Land Registry as a matter of law bound to reveal price sold information on a register of the title for residential properties nationwide including premises in Machen. The Title Register is a public document, so the Land Registry would be breaching their statutory duty excluded certain properties such as the property in Machen.

You can ask HMLR to hide the price paid entry yet the response will be in the negative.