My wife and I are approaching an exchange on a house in Berkhamsted and my mum and dad have sent the 10% deposit to my lawyer. I am now informed that as the deposit has been sent from someone other than me my solicitor needs to disclose this to my bank. I am advised that, in also acting for the lender he must advise them that the balance of the purchase price is not just from me. I disclosed to the mortgage company about my parents' contribution when I applied for the home loan, so is it really necessary for him to raise this?

Your property lawyer is duty bound to clarify with the bank to ensure that they are aware that the balance of the purchase price is not from your own funds. Your solicitor can only reveal this to your mortgage company if you permit them to, failing which, your lawyer must cease to continue acting.

When can the exchange of contracts occur in purchase conveyancing in Berkhamsted and am I required to be at the conveyancers branch?

If you are local to our conveyancing solicitors in Berkhamsted you are invited in to sign documents. That being said, the lender approved solicitors we work with offer countrywide coverage for conveyancing and provide as equally detailed and professional a job for you when communicating with you electronically. The executing of the purchase agreement is not when everything is set in stone. A signed contract is just a prerequisite for the firm to address the formalities at the suitable time, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The procedure is is usually a five minute process, although where a lengthy "chain" is involved, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Berkhamsted)to be in the office at the appropriate time.

My wife and I have organised the release of further funds on our mortgage from Principality as we intend to conduct renovations to our house in Berkhamsted. Do we need to select a high street Berkhamsted solicitor on the Principality conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?

Principality would not normally require firms on their approved list of lawyers to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Principality list.

My wife and I are at the point of looking at houses in Berkhamsted and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it best to have my property lawyer on ‘stand by’? I am planning to take a mortgage with Virgin Money.

It would be advisable to start your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the estate agent. Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Virgin Money, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.

About to purchase apartment in Berkhamsted. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Berkhamsted solicitor is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel.

I decided to have a survey done on a house in Berkhamsted in advance of instructing lawyers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. The surveyor has said that some mortgage companies tend refuse to give a mortgage on such a house.

It varies from the lender to lender. Bank of Scotland has different requirements from Halifax. If you e-mail us we can investigate further via the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Berkhamsted. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Berkhamsted especially if they are accustomed to such properties in Berkhamsted.

Are there common defects that you encounter in leases for Berkhamsted properties?

Leasehold conveyancing in Berkhamsted is not unique. All leases are drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain provisions are missing. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.

You will encounter a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Nationwide Building Society, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society, and Britannia all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the buyer to withdraw.

I bought a leasehold flat in Berkhamsted, conveyancing formalities finalised April 2002. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent properties in Berkhamsted with an extended lease are worth £186,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2078

With just 52 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £29,500 and £34,000 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.