The sellers of the property we are hoping to buy hired a conveyancing solicitor in Berrylands who has suggested a exclusivity contract with a non-refundable deposit two thousand pounds. Is it wise to enter into such agreements?

This kind of agreement is unusual in Berrylands, conveyancers will often try and steer clients away from them as they divert attention from the primary focus, namely conveyancing and if you end up having your deposit forfeited then the lawyer at best left with an upset client and at worst a litigious one. In addition, there is no certainty that just because the owner has executed a lock out contract they will sell to you. They may be in contravention of the agreement if they are offered sufficient financial inducement to do so because an aggrieved claimant with the benefit of a exclusivity agreement will still be legally obliged to show losses as a consequence of the breach and these may not equalise the extra amount that your seller may gain by breaking the contract, however morally reprehensible the behaviour is.

When can the exchange of contracts occur in sale conveyancing in Berrylands and do I need to be at the lawyers office?

Where you are in close proximity to our conveyancing solicitors in Berrylands you are welcome to come in to sign the paperwork. That being said, the lender approved solicitors we work with offer a national conveyancing service and provide just as diligent and professional a job for you when dealing with you digitally. The executing of the sale agreement is not the point of no return. Signing on the dotted line simply enables the firm to exchange contracts when the time is right, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The procedure is is usually a five minute process, although where a long "chain" is in play, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Berrylands)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Barclays. I assume I don't need a Berrylands solicitor on the Barclays panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Barclays mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Barclays mortgage from the register. Barclays, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Barclays has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Barclays has instructed the Land Registry to do so

Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Berrylands. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?

Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.

I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Berrylands. My mortgage broker suggested a conveyancing practitioner. I paid an on account payment of £225. Shortly after, the solicitor contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Nationwide panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

My wife and I own a semi-detached Edwardian house in Berrylands. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Accord Mortgages Ltd. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the matching address. Is it worth asking Accord Mortgages Ltd to clarify?

You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Berrylands and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also enquire as to the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.

Your search tool is useful but there are many lawyers listed near Berrylands being on the mortgage company conveyancing panel. It would be a lot more helpful if you could recommend a specific firm on the conveyancing panel for our mortgage company?

We do not recommend specific Berrylands firms as the right Berrylands conveyancing solicitor for you depends on where your priorities lie. For example you may require a local firm with Berrylands knowledge or you might be looking for the low cost conveyancing. Before you appoint your lawyer we advise you to speak to two or three of the the firms listed to gain comfort as to which one is right for you..