I am progressing with the sale of my home in Downend and the estate agent has just telephoned to say that the purchasers are appointing a new conveyancer. The reason given is that the mortgage company will only work with solicitors on their approved list. On what basis would a leading lender only deal with specific lawyers rather the firm that they want to appoint to handle their conveyancing in Downend ?

Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the last few years big names such as HSBC, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for more than 25 years.

Lenders blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the reduction – criteria have been stiffened 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 being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms 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 unlikely to have any impact on this.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our house can not be found. The lawyers who dealt with the conveyancing in Downend 5 years ago are no longer around. Will I be able to sell the house?

In today’s world there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your conveyancer should be aware exactly where to find all the appropriate paperwork so you can purchase or dispose of your property without a hitch. If copies can’t be located, your lawyer may be able to put in place insurance or indemnities against possible claims on your property.

How does conveyancing in Downend differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Downend come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is finished. This is because house builders in Downend usually purchase the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Downend or who has acted in the same development.

Do I need to be suspicious that estate agents that I am dealing with are recommending a web based conveyancing firm rather than a local Downend conveyancing firm?

As with many professional services, often recommendations from family and friends can be worth their weight in gold. Nevertheless there are many parties with a keen interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and banks might all suggest conveyancers to appoint. On occasion these solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but sometimes there exists a commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You have the discretion to choose your own conveyancer. However, bear in mind that most lenders have an approved list of solicitors you have to use for the lender related work in your transaction.

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my 2 bed apartment in Downend. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, but I have recently received a quarterly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is discharge the invoice as usual because all ground rent and service invoices should be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

Downend Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries Prior to buying

Best to be warned if changing the roof or some other significant cost is pending to be shared between the leaseholders and may well dramatically impact the level of the service fees or require a one off payment. What is the yearly maintenance fee and ground rent? How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their maintenance charge payments?