My wife and I are purchasing a 3 bedroom apartment in Derby with a mortgage. We like our Derby conveyancer, however the bank advise she’s not on their "panel". It appears that we have little option but to select one of the bank panel conveyancing practices or keep our Derby lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. We regard this is unjust; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose 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. A further alternative is for your Derby conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

As someone not used to conveyancing in Derby what’s the number one tip you can impart for the ownership transfer in Derby

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Derby and elsewhere in England and Wales is an adversarial experience. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is an abundance of opportunity for conflict between you and other parties involved in the house moving process. E.g., the vendor, selling agent and on occasion your bank. Selecting a lawyer for your conveyancing in Derby should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE person in the legal process whose responsibility is to look after your best interests and to keep you safe.

We are witnessing a distinct emergence in the "blame" culture- someone must be at fault for the process taking so long. You your first instinct should be to trust your solicitor above the other players in the home moving process.

A colleague advised me that in buying a property in Derby there may be various restrictions as to what one can do in terms of external alterations to the property. Is this right?

We are aware of a number of properties in Derby which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Derby should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

Can I be sure that the Derby conveyancing solicitor on the HSBC panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Derby obtaining recommendations is a good start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always recommend that you speak with the lawyer handling your conveyancing.

The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Derby. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.

Various online forums that I have frequented warn that are the primary reason for delay in Derby conveyancing transactions. Is this right?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the common causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are not likely to be the root cause of delay in conveyancing in Derby.

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build apartment in Derby. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build conveyancing.

Set out below are examples of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Derby

Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier?