I am in the process of selling my home in Radstock and the EA has just telephoned to warn that the purchasers are changing their law firm. The reason given is that the bank will only deal with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a big named lender only engage with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Radstock ?

Banks have always had panels of law firms that can represent them, but in the past few 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 more than 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 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. Some 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. Your buyers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

We're in Radstock, FTBs buying with a mortgage (lender is Barclays , and our solicitor is on the Barclays conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Barclays conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no property lawyer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

I appreciate that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Am I compelled to have this when buying a residence in Radstock? or Apparently there is a law dating back centuries that means some house owners residing in a parish church boundary may be liable to contribute towards repairs to the chancel in proximity to the church. Is this a legitimate concern for conveyancing in Radstock?

Unless a prior acquisition of the property completed post 12 October 2013 you could expect solicitors carrying out conveyancing in Radstock to remain encouraging a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.

I am buying my first flat in Radstock with a loan from Birmingham Midshires. The sellers refused to budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The sale representative told me not to tell my lawyer about the side-deal as it could put at risk my loan with the lender. Is this normal?.

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.

In what way does the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my business premises in Radstock and how can you help?

The 1954 Act gives security of tenure to commercial leaseholders, granting the dueness to make a request to court for a renewal lease and continue in occupation when the lease reaches an end. There are certain specified grounds that a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are complex. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. Radstock is one of our numerous locations in which our lawyers are based