I am nearing exchange of contracts for my apartment in Bromborough and the EA has just text me to advise that the purchasers are switching law firm. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only engage with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a leading mortgage company only work with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in Bromborough ?

UK lenders have always had an approved set of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the last few years big names such as Nationwide, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for more than 25 years.

Banks point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some 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.

Please help - my lawyer says that absentee landlord insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Bromborough?

The right level of absentee landlord indemnity insurance depends on your lender. It would differ for example between and . Conveyancing lawyers as opposed to members of the public take out such insurances.

Can you point me to a directory of panel conveyancers in Bromborough on the Building Society Association’s Website?

No. There is no such facility on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. Very few lending institutions make their panel listings available over the internet. If you are looking for a Bromborough on the please use our tool.

I currently have a mortgage with for my property in Bromborough. Conveyancing was finalised a year ago. Should I wish to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform ?

Your original mortgage agreement with will provide that you need their approval before renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of ’s mortgage conditions. It may be that 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 directly. You need not do this via a conveyancing panel lawyer.

I used Action Conveyancing several years ago for my conveyancing in Bromborough. I now require my papers however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing 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 Bromborough of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £245,000 and found one round the corner in Bromborough I like with open areas and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 49 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Bromborough in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?

If you require a mortgage that many years may be problematic. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.

What can I do to determine who is the owner of a property in Bromborough?

As long as the property is recorded at HMLR, and you have sufficient information of the location of the premises, you will be able to obtain details from the the Land Registry of the recorded proprietor for a fee.