I am nearing exchange of contracts for my maisonette in Chiswick and the EA has just telephoned to advise that the buyers are changing their conveyancer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the bank will only work with solicitors on their approved list. Why would a major lender only engage with specific law firms rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Chiswick ?

Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms that can represent them, but in recent years big names such as Santander, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for over 25 years.

Banks point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

At what point will exchange of contracts happen for sale conveyancing in Chiswick and am I required to be at the conveyancers branch?

Where you are local to our conveyancing solicitors in Chiswick you are welcome to attend to sign the paperwork. That being said, the firms we work with provide a national conveyancing service and give as equally detailed and professional a job for you when communicating with you by post or email. The executing of the contract is not when everything is set in stone. Signing on the dotted line simply enables the firm to exchange contracts at the suitable time, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The procedure is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where a lengthy "chain" is involved, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Chiswick)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

I note that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Do I need chancel insurance when purchasing a house in Chiswick? or Apparently there is historic law that could mean that house owners living in a parish church boundary may be liable to contribute towards repairs towards the chancel within the church. Is this a legitimate concern for conveyancing in Chiswick?

Unless a prior purchase of the property took place after 12 October 2013 you may assume that solicitors delivering conveyancing in Chiswick to remain encouraging a chancel search and or chancel repair liability policy.

In my capacity as executor for the will of my aunt I am selling a residence in Monmouth but reside in Chiswick. My conveyancer (who is 250 miles awayneeds me to sign a statutory declaration ahead of the transaction finalising. Can you recommend a conveyancing lawyer in Chiswick to attest and place their company stamp on the document?

strictly speaking you are unlikely to need to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily or notary public or qualified solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are Chiswick based

We had our home loan approved on Tuesday with our lender. We appointed a long established conveyancer in Chiswick two days ago. Today, our mortgage adviser contacted us saying that the lender said that we cannot use our solicitor as they aren't on their panel. As FTB's, we did not have a clue that the mortgage company had some control over our choice Is this permitted?

You are permitted to choose any lawyer you want to choose including the said conveyancer in Chiswick nevertheless if your lender aren't happy with them you will have to pay an extra fee so your bank can retain their own conveyancer too. sometimes it is possible your solicitor may apply to get included on to the bank list of approved firms. You can use internet tools such as lenderpanel.com to find a conveyancing solcitor in Chiswick on the mortgage company panel. You can go into your high street mortgage company branch in Chiswick. They can recommend conveyancing solicitors in Chiswick on the approved list.