My wife and I are buying a 1 bedroom apartment in Lickey End with a mortgage. We like our Lickey End lawyer, however the bank advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel conveyancing practices or retain our Lickey End conveyancing practitioner and pay for one of their panel lawyers to represent them. We feel that this is unjust; 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 lender’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 Lickey End conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

What is the optimum way to investigate if the solicitor carrying out my conveyancing in Lickey End is on the bank’sconveyancing panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for Britannia thus spending £175.00 in additional legal bill.

Please do take advantage of the search tool on this site. Please choose the lender and type ‘Lickey End’ or your preferred area and you will see numerous conveyancers based in Lickey End or nearest you.

How can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 affect my commercial offices in Lickey End and how can you help?

The particular law that you refer to provides a safeguard to business leaseholders, giving them the right to make a request to court for a new tenancy and remain in occupation at the end of the lease term. There are limited grounds that a landlord can refuse a lease renewal and the rules are complex. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing practices who use the act for protection and handle your commercial conveyancing in Lickey End

I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing lawyer in Lickey End for my purchase. Is there any facility to review a solicitor's complaints history with the profession’s regulator?

You may find published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions arising from investigations from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find details about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a firm's history, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. International callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator could monitor telephone calls for training requirements.

The estate agent has suggested using their conveyancing practitioner for my conveyancing in Lickey End - Surely it’s advisable to just instruct them?

It is not always the case and you are entitled to use whichever conveyancer you prefer for your Lickey End home move. A solicitor suggested by a 3rd party adviser may not always be the best solicitor, they may recommend their preferred conveyancing firm who are based far away. In this instance you may not have contact with your conveyancing practitioner and due to the lack of continuity in the transaction, it may be difficult to obtain progress reports.