My partner and I are hoping to purchase a home in Duffield and have appointed a Duffield conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Halifax have this evening contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Duffield lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?

When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Duffield lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.

I used Action Conveyancing several years ago for my conveyancing in Duffield. 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 help locate 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 Duffield of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and identified one round the corner in Duffield I like with open areas and station nearby, the downside is that it's only got 52 years on the lease. There is not much else in Duffield for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a mortgage that many years may be problematic. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you could 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 with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.

In searching the web for the term cheap conveyancing in Duffield it brings up many conveyancerslocally. How do I determine which is the right conveyancing solicitor for my move?

The best way of choosing the right conveyancer is through a personal testimonial, so ask friends and family who have acquired a property in Duffield or a reputable estate agent or financial adviser. Fees for conveyancing in Duffield vary, so it's a good idea to obtain a minimum of four quotes from varying types of conveyancers. Be sure to seek confirmation that the fees are fixed.

I have selected a Duffield conveyancing solicitor for our home move (first time buyers) and have picked up in the terms and conditions that they are not governed by the Financial Conduct Authority. Should I be worried or is that the norm with solicitor?

We can't see why they should be. Most conveyancer don't lend money. You should check that they are regulated by the SRA, who set strict laws in place on funds deposited by them.