Me and my partner are purchasing a 2 bedroom apartment in Bedford with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Bedford lawyer, however the lender says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel firms or continue with our Bedford and pay for one of their panel firms to represent them. We consider that this is inequitable; can we not demand that the lender use our Bedford ?

Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Bedford conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

Our conveyancer has discovered a a legal deficiency with the lease for the flat we are buying in Bedford. The seller’s lawyers have suggested title insurance as a workaround. We are content with insurance and will cover the costs. Our says that he must check that the mortgage company is willing to move forward with this solution. Who is the client here, us or the lender?

The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the potential for a conflict of interest, you and the lender are the client. Your must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects with the lease so that the mortgage company can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.

I'm buying a new build house in Bedford with a mortgage from . The builders refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The estate agent advised me not to tell my lawyer about this extras as it will adversely affect my mortgage with . Is this normal?.

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

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and identified one close by in Bedford I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, however it's only got 51 years on the lease. There is not much else in Bedford suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?

If you need a mortgage that many years will likely be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you can request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.

I am the registered owner of a ground floor flat in Bedford, conveyancing formalities finalised 1995. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Equivalent flats in Bedford with a long lease are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease finishes on 21st October 50

With just 50 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £36,100 and £41,800 plus costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs without more detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.