My husband and I are buying a 3 bedroom flat in Barnes with a mortgage. We have a Barnes solicitor, however the mortgage company advise she’s not on their "panel". It appears that we have little option but to select one of the lender panel firms or keep our Barnes solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. This feels very unfair; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you 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 Barnes conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

I am approaching an exchange on a flat in Barnes and my mum and dad have transferred the exchange deposit to my solicitor. I am now advised that as the deposit has not arrived from me my property lawyer needs to make a notification to my bank. Apparently, in also acting for the bank he must advise them that the balance of the purchase price is coming from anyone other than me. I advised the mortgage company about my parents' contribution when I applied for the home loan, so is it really necessary for him to raise this?

The lawyer is obliged to clarify with mortgage company to ensure that they know that the balance of the purchase price is not from your own funds. The solicitor can only reveal this to your bank if you permit them to, failing which, your lawyer must cease to continue acting.

My grandmother passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Barnes. The house had a small mortgage remaining of approximately £4500. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Nationwide, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?

If you intend to re-mortgage then Nationwide will require that you use a conveyancer on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Nationwide conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Nationwide mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

We are purchasing a flat in Barnes. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a lawyer? At some point we have to deposit money into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our deposit?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

I had a mortgage agreed in principle with RBS. Barnes conveyancing lawyers are appointed. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from RBS?

There is no definitive answer here. Have RBS done the survey? Have you advised RBS as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the RBS conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

I have a mortgage with Coventry BS for my property in Barnes. Conveyancing has been completed some time ago. In the event that I decide to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Coventry BS?

Your original mortgage agreement with Coventry BS will provide that you need their approval before renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Coventry BS’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Coventry BS directly. You need not do this via a Coventry BS conveyancing panel firm.

Frank (my husband) and I may need to let out our Barnes garden flat temporarily due to a career opportunity. We instructed a Barnes conveyancing firm in 2001 but they have closed and we did not think at the time get any guidance as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

Some leases for properties in Barnes do contain a provision to say that subletting is only permitted with prior consent from the landlord. The landlord cannot unreasonably refuse but, in such cases, they would need to see references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting permission.

Following months of negotiations we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Barnes. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Barnes conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Barnes property is 25 Petley Road in February 2010. The Tribunal determined that the price payable for the freehold of the subject premises should be £18,760. This case affected 2 flats. The unexpired lease term was 156.6 years and 66.6 years.