I am progressing with the sale of my ground floor flat in Burgess Hill and the estate agent has just telephoned to say that the buyers are switching property lawyer. The excuse is that the bank will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a leading mortgage company only work with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Burgess Hill ?

Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms that can act for them, but in the past few years big names such as Santander, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for over 25 years.

Lenders attribute this action to a rise in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to disclose 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. 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 purchasers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

I need some quick conveyancing in Burgess Hill as I am faced with pressure to exchange contracts within 4 weeks. A mortgage is not required. Is it possible to avoid the conveyancing searches to save fees and time?

If.Given you are are a mortgage free purchaser you are at liberty not to do searches although no solicitor would suggest that you don't. With lots of history conveyancing in Burgess Hill the following are examples of what can appear and therefore affect future saleability: Enforcement Actions, Outstanding Fees, Overdue Grants, Railway Schemes,...

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my house can not be found. The lawyers who did the conveyancing in Burgess Hill 4 years ago are no longer around. What are my options?

Nowadays there are copies made of almost everything, and your conveyancer will be aware exactly where to look for all the appropriate documentation so you can purchase or sell your house without any difficulty. Where duplicates can’t be located, your solicitor can put in place insurance or indemnities against possible claims on the property.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £305k and found one close by in Burgess Hill I like with open areas and station nearby, the downside is that it only has 49 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Burgess Hill in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?

Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this.

We are in the process of purchasing a apartment in Burgess Hill. Can the solicitor have our transaction price confidential from the likes of Nestoria. Is this achievable and how?

The Land Registry are legally obliged to specify price paid data on a register of the title for residential properties nationwide which includes properties in Burgess Hill. The Title Register is an open document, so HM Land Registry would be breaking the law excluded specific homes such as your property in Burgess Hill.

You can ask HM Land Registry to withhold the amount paid entry yet the answer would be in the negative.