I am nearing exchange of contracts for my flat in Chalfont St Peter and the EA has just text me to warn that the buyers are swapping property lawyer. The reason given is that the bank will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. 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 Chalfont St Peter ?

UK lenders have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the last few years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for decades.

Mortgage companies point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. No lender will say 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. Some do not even realise 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 not going to have any sway in the decision.

Can conveyancing in Chalfont St Peter to be completed in 3 weeks?

In the event that the seller is applying a tight deadline for your conveyancing we would recommend that your conveyancer is familiar with the location as they will have local contacts and insight. It is possible that they would have handled previousproperties in the same neighbourhood. Therefore consider using a Chalfont St Peter conveyancing solicitor. Second, check that the conveyancing firm is on the on the approved list for your mortgage company. It is estimated that nearly one in five of Chalfont St Peter conveyancing transactions are frustrated or jeopardised after discovering a purchaser’s conveyancer was not on their mortgage lender’s member panel. In many cases this discovery resulted in the buying process being held up by almost 21 days. It is said that this issue affects approximately one hundred thousand home sales annually. Almost all Chalfont St Peter conveyancing practices can not act for certain lenders so do check at the outset.

As a novice what is the most important number one tip you can give me concerning purchase conveyancing in Chalfont St Peter?

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Chalfont St Peter and elsewhere in England and Wales is often a confrontational process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is plenty of opportunity for friction between you and other parties involved in the home moving process. For instance, the vendor, property agent and sometimes a bank. Selecting a lawyer for your conveyancing in Chalfont St Peter is a critical decision as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE person in the legal process whose interest is to act in your best interests and to protect you.

There is a distinct emergence in the "blame" culture- someone has to be at fault for the process being so protracted. We recommend that you should always trust your conveyancer above all other parties when it comes to the legal assignment of property.

I used Action Conveyancing a few years ago for my conveyancing in Chalfont St Peter. I now require my file but the law firm is no longer operating. 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 Chalfont St Peter of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

We have AIP from Aldermore who said we could borrow up to £350k. When do I need to instruct a practitioner for conveyancing? Chalfont St Peter is where we plan to move to.

It would be wise to instruct a solicitor now so that the property lawyer can open the file so they can conduct their AML checks etc. If and when you wish them to start work they will seek a deposit normally about £200. That should normally be after you have the mortgage offer and valuation results, nevertheless should you want to speed the process you can get going sooner albeit risking some expense.