My partner and I are hoping to acquire a flat in St Leonard Shoreditch and have instructed a St Leonard Shoreditch conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our conveyancer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. The Royal Bank of Scotland have this morning contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our St Leonard Shoreditch conveyancer is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?

Where you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is usual for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own St Leonard Shoreditch solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.

All was ready to complete my purchase in St Leonard Shoreditch next Friday. My conveyancing practitioner now wants me to supply her with evidence of content and building insurance for the property as as she informs me that she is duty bound to validate that it is in order for the bank. What risks does the lender expect the insurance to cover?

Any lawyer on acting for mortgage companies would need to check that the following risks are covered fire; lightning; aircraft; explosion; earthquake; storm; flood; escape of water or oil; riot; malicious damage; theft or attempted theft; falling trees and branches and aerials; subsidence; heave;landslip;collision;accidental damage to underground services;professional fees, demolition and site clearance costs; and public liability to anyone else. There are some other issues such as the level of excess that are set out in a lender’s Part 2 requirements. These obligations are not limited to conveyancing in St Leonard Shoreditch.

I am helping my aunt sell her property in St Leonard Shoreditch. Will the solicitor arrange the energy assessment or it is for me to coordinate?

Following the demise of Home Information Packs, energy performance certificates was retained a required component of moving house. An EPC needs to be commissioned prior to the property being marketed. It is not as aspect of the sale process that law firms ordinarily organise. Where you are using a St Leonard Shoreditch conveyancing solicitor they may be willing to arrange EPC’s given their contacts with reputable local assessors

My uncle pointed out to me me that in buying a property in St Leonard Shoreditch there could be various restrictions limiting what one can do in terms of external changes to the property. Is this right?

There are anumerous of properties in St Leonard Shoreditch which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in St Leonard Shoreditch should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

My partner and I have arranged a further advance on our mortgage from Nationwide as we wish to carry out a loft conversion to our house in St Leonard Shoreditch. Are we obliged to appoint a bricks and mortar St Leonard Shoreditch solicitor on the Nationwide conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?

Nationwide would not normally instruct firms on their conveyancing panel to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Nationwide conveyancing panel.

Will my conveyancer be raising enquiries concerning flooding as part of the conveyancing in St Leonard Shoreditch.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for conveyancers carrying out conveyancing in St Leonard Shoreditch. There are those who purchase a property in St Leonard Shoreditch, completely aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate insurance cover, or sell the property. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Conveyancers are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, but there are a various searches that can be undertaken by the buyer or by their lawyers which will give them a better appreciation of the risks in St Leonard Shoreditch. The standard completed inquiry forms given to a buyer’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a usual question of the owner to determine if the premises has suffered from flooding. If flooding has previously occurred and is not notified by the seller, then a purchaser could commence a claim for damages as a result of such an inaccurate reply. The purchaser’s conveyancers may also order an environmental search. This will higlight whether there is any known flood risk. If so, further inquiries will need to be carried out.

I used Arc property Solicitors a few years ago for my conveyancing in St Leonard Shoreditch. Now, I need my documents however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in St Leonard Shoreditch of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.