My mortgage broker has requested my St Brides Major solicitor’s panel member for the HSBC conveyancing panel. Can you suggest how I discover this. I have called my local St Brides Major office but they don't know it.

You are best placed to get this information from your St Brides Major lawyer . They maintain a central record lender panel numbers.

Would the conveyancing practitioners that you recommend handle auction conveyancing in St Brides Major?

There are a few auction solicitors we can connect you with those who can conduct auction conveyancing. St Brides Major is just one of hundreds of locations in which our lawyers are based.

I am close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our home in St Brides Major and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was constructed on contaminated land. A local conveyancer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers used an online conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in St Brides Major. We have lived in St Brides Major for three years we know of no issue. Do we contact our local Authority to get confirmation that there is no issue.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You need to enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same illness)

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and identified one round the corner in St Brides Major I like with a park and transport links nearby, however it's only got 61 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in St Brides Major in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?

If you need a home loan that many years will be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you may ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.

I own a leasehold house in St Brides Major. Conveyancing and Nottingham Building Society mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing practitioner in St Brides Major who previously acted has now retired. Any advice?

The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to be sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. It is not necessary to instruct a St Brides Major conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that in any event, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I purchased a ground floor flat in St Brides Major, conveyancing having been completed April 2004. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Comparable properties in St Brides Major with a long lease are worth £202,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £60 charged once a year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2083

With just 57 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £28,500 and £33,000 plus costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. 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. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.