I am 3 weeks into the sale of my house in Clayton-le-Moors and the estate agent has just telephoned to advise that the purchasers are swapping conveyancer. The excuse is that the bank will only deal with solicitors on their approved list. Why would a big named mortgage company only engage with specific law firms rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Clayton-le-Moors ?

Banks have always had panels of law firms that can represent them, but in the last few years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for many years.

Banks blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the reduction – criteria have been narrowed 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 claims that it is being contacted daily by practices 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. The purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.

I have been referred to a conveyancing solicitor in Clayton-le-Moors. I I am struggling to find out if they are on the approved list of lawyers. Could you assist?

The first thing to do is phone the solicitor and ask them if they are on the lender panel. Otherwise you should get in touch with who may be able to confirm.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and found one close by in Clayton-le-Moors I like with amenity areas and railway links in the vicinity, however it only has 51 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Clayton-le-Moors suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?

If you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be problematic. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.

Is it best to choose a Clayton-le-Moors conveyancing practitioner based in the location that I am purchasing? We have a good friend who can handle the legal formalities but they are based 200miles away.

The primary upside of using a local Clayton-le-Moors conveyancing practice is that you can visit the firm to execute paperwork, hand in your ID and pester them if necessary. Having local Clayton-le-Moors know how is a bonus. That being said it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have instructed your friend and on the whole were impressed that must surpass using an unknown Clayton-le-Moors conveyancing lawyer just because they are local.

Online reading suggests that Clayton-le-Moors solicitors are more costly than licensed conveyancers in Clayton-le-Moors when it comes to purchasing a house. So is it better if I use a conveyancer or a solicitor where I am buying a property in Clayton-le-Moors.

When it comes to conveyancing in Clayton-le-Moors the costs are unlikely to vary dramatically depending on whether the legal expert is a licenced conveyancer or solicitor.