I am five weeks into the sale of my house in Levenshulme and the estate agent has just telephoned to advise that the buyers are switching conveyancer. The reason given is that the lender will only deal with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a leading mortgage company only work with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Levenshulme ?

Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms they are content to work with, but in recent years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for decades.

Lending institutions blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The buyers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.

I used Wolstenholmes several years ago for my conveyancing in Levenshulme. Now, I need my documents but the law firm has closed. What do I do?

Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Levenshulme of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I am buying a new build house in Levenshulme with a mortgage from . The developers would not budge the price so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The estate agent suggested that I not reveal to my lawyer about this deal as it may put at risk my loan with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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

My father has urged me to appoint his conveyancers in Levenshulme. Do I take his advice?

Much as we are happy to recommend a Levenshulme conveyancing lawyer the ideal way to find a conveyancing lawyer is to have referrals from friends or family who have actually used the conveyancer that you are contemplating using.

I acquired a split level flat in Levenshulme, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. 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 Levenshulme with an extended lease are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 50

With 50 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £36,100 and £41,800 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. 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 considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.