My fiance and I are hoping to purchase a home in Highcliffe and are in fact using a Highcliffe conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our solicitor has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. have this morning contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Highcliffe lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. Is this a problem?

If you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is usual for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Highcliffe lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

When reviewing moneysavingexpert.com for an affordable lawyer in Highcliffe, many post that I must look for a CQS accredited solicitor. Can you explain what CQS is?

Highcliffe Conveyancing Quality Scheme solicitors have obtained accreditation under the Law Society's Scheme (CQS) CQS was established to promote high standards in the in the legal transfer of properties. CQS enables consumers to recognise solicitor firms who provide a quality residential conveyancing. Highcliffe is one of the many areas in England and Wales in which CQS are located. The conveyancing scheme requires solicitors to undergo a strict assessment, compulsory training, self-reporting, random audits and annual reviews in order to maintain CQS status. It is open only to members of the Law Society who meet the demanding standards set by the scheme and has the support of the Council of Mortgage Lenders.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £245,000 and identified one round the corner in Highcliffe I like with a park and railway links nearby, however it's only got 61 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Highcliffe in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?

If you require a mortgage that many years will likely be problematic. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you may ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.

I have just appointed agents to market my 2 bed apartment in Highcliffe. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, however I have recently received a quarterly service charge invoice – Do I pay up?

It best that you discharge the service charge as usual given that all ground rent and maintenance payments will be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I am the registered owner of a leasehold flat in Highcliffe, conveyancing was carried out 3 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Corresponding flats in Highcliffe with an extended lease are worth £165,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease terminates on 21st October 50

With 50 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £36,100 and £41,800 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" 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 the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

My cousin is purchasing a garden flat in Highcliffe. He was given a quote by the recommended by the estate agents totaling £1385 . It was fifteen years ago I sold and bought a house and the bill was £450. Have costs really escalated to that extent?

What does the conveyancing estimate include? Is it just for the legal fees, or what you will be paying in total (for instance Highcliffe searches, land registry fees, etc)