We are buying a newly built duplex in Basildon and my lawyer is advising me that she is duty bound to the bank to reveal incentives from the builder. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to exchange and I don't want to prolong the conveyancing. is my lawyer playing by the book?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your solicitor. A precondition to being on a lender panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

My wife and I have recently appointed a conveyancing solicitor in Basildon. I I would like to check whether they are on the Lloyds TSB Bank approved list of lawyers. Can you assist?

The first thing you should do is e-mail the lawyer and enquire if they can act for the bank. Alternatively you should get in touch with Lloyds TSB Bank who may be able to assist.

I need some quick conveyancing in Basildon as I am faced with pressure to exchange contracts within 4 weeks. A home loan is not required. Can I avoid the conveyancing searches to save money and time?

If.Given you are not obtaining a mortgage you are at liberty not to do searches although no law firm would advise that you don't. Drawing on our experience of conveyancing in Basildon the following are examples of what can arise and adversely impact future mortgageability: Enforcement Actions, Overdue Charges, Outstanding Grants, Railway Schemes,...

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Basildon. Before I set the wheels in motion I require certainty as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

If the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Basildon - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I acquired a leasehold flat in Basildon, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Similar flats in Basildon with a long lease are worth £180,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 invoiced every year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2085

You have 59 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £20,900 and £24,200 as well as 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 a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.

We had our home loan approved on Monday with our bank. We instructed a long established conveyancer in Basildon two days ago. This morning, our broker called to say that the lender said that we cannot use our solicitor as they aren't on their 'approved list'. As novices, we did not have a clue that the mortgage company had some control over our choice Is this legal?

You can actually use any lawyer you prefer to instruct for your conveyancing in Basildon however if they are not on the your bank's approved list you will have to pay an extra fee so the mortgage company can retain their own solicitors as well to protect their interest. On occasion it is possible your preferred conveyancing firm to get added to the bank list of approved firms. You can use internet search facilities such as lenderpanel.com to find a conveyancing solcitor in Basildon on the bank panel. You can go into your high street lender branch in Basildon. They can recommend conveyancing solicitors in Basildon on the mortgage company panel.