I am one month into the sale of my flat in Elmswell and the EA has just e-mailed to advise that the buyers are switching property lawyer. The excuse is that the lender will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a leading lender only deal with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Elmswell ?

UK lenders have always had an approved set of law firms that can act for them, but in the past few years big names such as Santander, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for more than 15 years.

Banks point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. No lender will say 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. 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 purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.

Why is leasehold purchase conveyancing in Elmswell is more expensive?

Elmswell leasehold conveyancing transactions usually involve additional investigations than freeholds including investigating the Lease, liaising with the Landlord such as serving applicable notices on the Landlord or managing agent, obtaining up-to-date service charge and management information, obtaining Landlord’s consents and reviewing management accounts and formation documents.

I used Wolstenholmes several years past for my conveyancing in Elmswell. I now require my papers but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

Do contact 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 Elmswell of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Elmswell benefiting from help to buy. The sellers refused to reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The estate agent advised me not to tell my conveyancer about this deal as it may impact my loan with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

How do I identify commercial conveyancing in Elmswell?

First ask your friends and family who they would recommend. Second, search the web for conveyancing in Elmswell. Telephone a couple or more firms from the list and ask them to email you their conveyancing estimate and discuss your needs with the solicitor who will handle your conveyancing before you make your choice. Option 3 is to make use of this site to assist you in finding the right lawyers taking into account your unique requirements including location,speed, complexity and who the proposed mortgage company is.Resist the temptation to appoint £99 conveyancing solicitors in Elmswell