I am in the process of selling my home in Clitheroe and the EA has just e-mailed to say that the purchasers are appointing a new conveyancer. The excuse is that the bank will only engage with property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a leading mortgage company only work with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Clitheroe ?

Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as HSBC, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for more than 15 years.

Mortgage companies blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the pruning – 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 claims that 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 purchasers are unlikely to have any impact on this.

What does a local search reveal about the property I am purchasing in Clitheroe?

Clitheroe conveyancing often starts with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search organisations for instance PSG The local search plays a central part in many a Clitheroe conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any unpleasant surprises after you move into your property. The search will supply information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic areas.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £235,500 and identified one near me in Clitheroe I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 52 years on the lease. There is not much else in Clitheroe in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?

If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be problematic. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least twenty four months you can request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

Given that I will soon part with 450k on a garden flat in Clitheroe I wish to talk to a solicitor concerning thehome move prior to appointing the firm. Can this be arranged?

Absolutely - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you speaking to the conveyancer who will be carrying out your property ownership legalities in Clitheroe.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is unique individual, not a case reference. The practices that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are calculated and presented to you for your conveyancing in Clitheroe should be the figure that you end up paying.

New build sellers have suggested I use a solicitor and I've obtained a quote from them. It's almost £300 cheaper than my preferred Clitheroe property lawyer. What's the catch?

Housebuilders often have lists of conveyancing practitioners who are quick and who know the builder's contract and property lawyer. Plenty of developers offer an inducement to choose a preferred conveyancing practitioner for this reason, any increased cost can be avoided and a developer won't suggest a conveyancing factory and run the risk of having the transaction delayed when they require an exchange within a tight deadline. The argument for not agreeing to use the recommended solicitor is that they may be unwilling to fight for your interests for fear of alienating the developer. If you worry that this may be the situation you should remain with your high street Clitheroe lawyer.