Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Laindon is not identified on my bank's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of the firm’s conveyancing?

It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should contact the Laindon conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.

If you had a top tip for choosing a conveyancing solicitor in Laindon what would it be?

We would encourage you not to base your choice on the lowest Laindon conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in ahead of time.

I am helping my aunt sell her house in Laindon. Does the conveyancing solicitor order an energy performance certificate or should I organise this?

Following the abolition of HIPs, energy performance certificates remained a compulsory element of selling a house. An energy performance certificate needs to be commissioned prior to the property being placed on the market. It is not a task that conveyancers normally organise. If you are instructing a Laindon conveyancing solicitor they may help arrange energy performance certificates given their contacts with long established Laindon accredited person

I am due to exchange contracts on my house. I had a double glazing fitted in December 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, Kent Reliance are being a right pain. The Laindon solicitor who is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but Kent Reliance are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Kent Reliance have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Kent Reliance have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Kent Reliance may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

Me and my brother purchased a renovated Georgian house in Laindon. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Barclays . I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold with the matching address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Laindon and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the position with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the conveyancing.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and identified one round the corner in Laindon I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 49 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Laindon for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?

If you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be problematic. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for at least 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.

How do I find a Laindon conveyancing solicitor on the mortgage company conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 15miles to attend the conveyancer.

You can use the find a conveyancing panel search on this website. Please choose the lender and your location, in this case Laindon and you will see a number of lawyer located nearest Laindon. Alternatively you can type in the name of your proposed law firm and see if they are listed as being on the bank solicitor panel.