Me and my fiance are purchasing a 2 bedroom flat in Eastleigh with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Eastleigh solicitor, however the lender says he's not on their "panel". It appears that we have no choice but to select one of the mortgage company panel firms or continue with our Eastleigh and pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’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. Another option that might be available is for your Eastleigh conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

A friend advised me that in buying a property in Eastleigh there could be various restrictions as to what one can do in terms of external changes to a property. Is this right?

There are anumerous of properties in Eastleigh which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Eastleigh should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with . I assume I don't need a Eastleigh on the panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the mortgage from the register. , and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I was told four weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by . Is it usual for to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Eastleigh is approved on their conveyancing panel? have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance Schedule.

Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

We're new to the buying process - agreed a price, but the agent has warned us that the seller will only move forward if we use their recommended lawyers as they are insisting on a ‘quick sale’. My instinct tells me that we should use a family solicitor used to conveyancing in Eastleigh

We suspect that the seller is unaware of this ultimatum. If they require ‘a quick sale', turning down a motivated buyer is not the way to achieve this. Bypass the agents and go straight to the sellers and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to go, with finances arranged © you are unencumbered (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you will continue to use your own,trusted Eastleigh conveyancing lawyers - rather thanthose that will provide the estate agent a kickback or hit his conveyancing figures demanded by senior management.

Planning to sign contracts shortly on a leasehold property in Eastleigh. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they report fully tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

Whether the lease restricts you from subletting the flat, or having a home office for business Who has the liability for repairing the window frames Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the tennant, superior lessor, landlord Are pets allowed in the flat? What options are available to the landlord where you have violated the provisions of the lease?

I invested in buying a basement flat in Eastleigh, 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? Similar flats in Eastleigh with a long lease are worth £165,000. The ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease ends on 21st October 50

With only 50 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £36,100 and £41,800 as well as legals.

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. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.

Do banks and building societies provide you with an approved list of Eastleigh solicitors? How do you know who is on the bank conveyancing panel?

Eastleigh law firm practices and firms carrying out conveyancing in Eastleigh themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from the lender directly.