I am selling my home in Binfield and the estate agent has just telephoned to advise that the purchasers are appointing a new law firm. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a leading mortgage company only work with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Binfield ?

Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in recent years big names such as HSBC, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for many years.

Lenders point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been tightened 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 hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms 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 unlikely to have any sway in the decision.

Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unexperienced as FTB of a ground floor flat in Binfield. Do I receive the keys to the house on completion from my conveyancer? If this is the case, I will find a local conveyancing solicitor in Binfield?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will arrange to send the completion advance to the seller's lawyers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you should be able to receive the keys from the property Agents and move into your new home. This tends to happen between 1 and 3pm.

is it true that all Binfield solicitor firms on the Nationwide conveyancing panel are regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As solicitors, in order to be on the Nationwide approved list of solicitors they would need to be overseen by the SRA. Some mortgage companies do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the practice would be governed by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

At last I have had an offer on a flat in Binfield accepted, but there is a chain. The vendors have placed an offer on on an apartment, but it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other flats booked. I have chosen a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Binfield. What do I do now? When do I get the mortgage application with Lloyds started?

It is usual to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is approx one thousand pounds, then survey, Binfield conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you must ensure that your solicitor is on the Lloyds approved list. Concerning the subsequent phase this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your transaction, attraction to this property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market many purchasers will apply for a home loan with Lloyds and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their conveyancing practitioner to proceed with searches.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Binfield?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Binfield. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I opted to have a survey carried out on a house in Binfield in advance of appointing solicitors. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. Our surveyor advised that some banks may refuse to grant a mortgage on such a house.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you contact us we can investigate further via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Binfield. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Binfield to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

How can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my commercial property in Binfield and how can your lawyers assist?

The particular law that you refer to affords a safeguard to commercial lessees, granting the legal entitlement to apply to court for a renewal lease and remain in occupation when the lease reaches an end. There are certain specified grounds where a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are complicated. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. Binfield is one of our numerous locations in which the firms we work with are located