I am progressing with the sale of my ground floor flat in Battle and the EA has just text me to say that the buyers are switching property lawyer. The reason given is that the bank will only work with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a major mortgage company only engage with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Battle ?

Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in recent years big names such as Santander, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 15 years.

Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your purchasers are not going to have any impact on this.

It is is a decade since I purchased my house in Battle. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been retained on the sale but I am unable to find my title documents. Is this a major issue?

Don’t worry too much. Firstly there is a possibility that the deeds will be kept by your lender or they could be in the possession of the conveyancers who acted in the purchase. Secondly in most cases the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. Most conveyancing in Battle relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.

We're in Battle, First timers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is , and our lawyer is on the conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no 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 need some quick conveyancing in Battle as I have an ultimatum to complete inside one month. Thankfully I do not require a mortgage. Can I avoid the conveyancing searches to save fees and time?

As you are are a cash purchaser you are at liberty not to do searches although no conveyancer would recommend that you don't. With plenty of history conveyancing in Battle the following are instances of issues that can arise and adversely impact the marketability of the property: Refused Planning Applications, Overdue Charges, Overdue Grants, Road Schemes,...

Are there any apps to assist me to locate a Battle solicitor on the conveyancing panel? I have a car and am happy to travel upto 20kilometers to meet the conveyancer.

You can use the facility on this website. Please choose the bank and your location and you will see a number of Battle conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have listed some Battle conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can call them to see whether they are on the panel