We are planning to buy a 3 bedroom apartment in Conisborough with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Conisborough solicitor, however the lender advise he's not on their "panel". It seems we have little option but to use one of the lender panel solicitors or retain our Conisborough solicitor as well as 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. A further alternative is for your Conisborough conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

At what point can the exchange of contracts take place for purchase conveyancing in Conisborough and do I need to be at the lawyers office?

If you are local to our conveyancing solicitors in Conisborough you are welcome to come in to sign documents. That being said, the firms we recommend provide a countrywide conveyancing service and provide as equally diligent and professional a job for you when dealing with you electronically. The signing of the contract is not when everything is set in stone. A signed contract is just a prerequisite for the firm to address the formalities at the suitable time, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The procedure is is usually a five minute process, although where a lengthy "chain" is involved, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Conisborough)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

I have todaybeen informed that Stirling Law have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Conisborough for a purchase of a freehold house 12 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is in my name in the name of the previous owner?

The easiest way to see if the premises is in your name, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Conisborough conveyancing specialists.

I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and identified one round the corner in Conisborough I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 49 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Conisborough in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?

If you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease will likely be problematic. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you may request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.

I need to swap lawyers as my Conisborough lawyer is not on the mortgage company's approved list of conveyancing solicitors. Is it advisable to appoint a new law firm?

If you haven't yet instructed a solicitor to commence the conveyancing and have just received an estimate as to costs, you're perfectly free to choose a different solicitor to carry out your work for you. The best way is to get recommendations from friends or family who have actually used the solicitor or conveyancer in Conisborough that you're considering.