I am thinking of mortgaging my flat in Holt, does my lawyer have to be on the Solicitor panel?

There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor, but will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is much more potential for delays and confusion with two solicitors involved, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I have offered on a fortnight ago in what should have been a simple, no chain conveyancing. Holt is where the house is located. Can you offer any assistance?

Flying freeholds in Holt are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Holt you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Holt may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.

Should I choose a Holt conveyancing solicitor who is local to the property I am buying? We have a good friend who can deal with the conveyancing however they are based over three hundred kilometers away.

The primary upside of using a local Holt conveyancing practice is that you can attend the office to execute paperwork, hand in your ID and apply pressure on them where appropriate. They will also have local insight which is a plus. That being said it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If you know people who used your friend and they were impressed that should outweigh using an unknown Holt conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being Holt based.

Back In 2007, I bought a leasehold house in Holt. Conveyancing and mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing solicitor in Holt who previously acted has now retired. Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to incur the fees of a Holt conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I own a ground floor flat in Holt, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Comparable properties in Holt with a long lease are worth £165,000. The ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease expires on 21st October 50

With just 50 years left to run the likely cost is going to span between £36,100 and £41,800 plus legals.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

I'm buying a apartment in Holt. I can find my conveyancer's company on the CLC list, but I can't see my lawyer's name on the list. Should I be concerned?

Not every individual in the company must be listed by the regulator. As long there is someone qualified to 'oversee' the conveyancing, the actual day-to-day activity can be undertaken by unlicensed staff.