I am progressing with the sale of my house in Callington and the EA has just called to say that the buyers 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 approved list. On what basis would a big named lender only work with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to appoint to handle their conveyancing in Callington ?

Banks have always had an approved set of law firms that can act for them, but in the last few years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for decades.

Lenders justify this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to reveal 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. The buyers are unlikely to have any impact on this.

My husband and I are hoping to buy a newbuild flat in Callington with a residential mortgage from Yorkshire Building Society.We like our Callington conveyancing lawyer but Yorkshire Building Society advised that his firm is not on their approved list of member firms. It seems we have little choice but to instruct a Yorkshire Building Society panel solicitor or retain our preferred solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. We feel as though this is unjust; Can we not simply insist that Yorkshire Building Society use our lawyer?

Unfortunately,no. The loan offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that solicitors will be on the Yorkshire Building Society conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could find one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Yorkshire Building Society

My fiancee and I are in the process of looking at houses in Callington and I am about to put in an offer. Is it sensible to have a lawyer on ‘stand by’? I will be getting a home loan with Clydesdale.

It would be sensible to instigate your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the EA. As you are getting a mortgage with Clydesdale, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Callington off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Co-operative. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Co-operative, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Co-operative conveyancing panel.

I have finally had an offer on a maisonette in Callington agreed to, but there is a chain. The sellers have offered on somewhere, but it’s not yet tied up, and are looking at other flats in the pipeline. I have instructed a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Callington. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with Nottingham going?

It is normal to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (mortgage application is approx £1k, then valuation, Callington conveyancing search fees, etc). First, you should check that your conveyancer is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. As to the next steps this very much dictated by the circumstances of your case, motivation for the property and on the state of the market. During a buoyant market the majority of home buyers will apply for the mortgage with Nottingham and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their conveyancer to move forward with the conveyancing in Callington.

Should I be suspicious by 3rd parties that I am dealing with are recommending a national conveyancing firm rather than a local Callington conveyancing practice?

As is the case with many professional services, often recommendations from relatives can be extremely useful or valuable. Yet there are many people with a vested interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and banks might all suggest conveyancers to select. On occasion these solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but sometimes there behind the scenes commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You have the right to choose your own lawyer. Don't forget that most lenders specify a panel list of law firms you have to use for the lender related work in your transaction.

What is the reason for my property lawyer requiring numerous items of identification ahead of starting my conveyancing in Callington?

Callington solicitors are required by the Law Society, Solicitors Regulation Authority, HMLR and current AML Regulations to certify that the have checked the identity of their clients. It will also be a requirement of your bank where you are obtaining a mortgage. In addition they have to complete various forms, particularly those relating to SDLT and need to have information such as your full names, NI number and DOB.