Is the fact that my solicitor in Fareham is not listed on my lender's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of his work?

It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) lack of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should simply call the Fareham conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.

The sellers of the house we are looking to purchase hired a conveyancing solicitor in Fareham who has suggested a preliminary contract with a down payment of 5k. Are such agreements sensible?

Lock out contracts are agreements binding a home vendor and purchaser giving the buyer exclusive rights to the sale of the property for a certain period of time. For all intents and purposes, a lock out is a document specifying that you will receive a contract at a later time being the contract for the actual sale. It is generally utilised for buyer confidence though in many situations, the proprietor may enjoy an upside from such agreements as well. There are many positives and negatives to having them but you need to check with your conveyancer but note that it may end up costing you more in conveyancing fees. In light of these reasons these contracts are rare in relation to conveyancing in Fareham.

I used Arc property Solicitors several years ago for my conveyancing in Fareham. Now, I need my files however 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 Fareham 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 decided to have a survey completed on a house in Fareham before retaining conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the house. The surveyor has said that some banks tend refuse to issue a loan on this type of home.

It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different instructions for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can check with the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Fareham. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Fareham especially if they are acquainted with such properties in Fareham.

Are Fareham conveyancing solicitors duty bound by the Law Society to publish clear conveyancing costs?

Inbuilt into the Solicitors Code of Conduct are prescriptive rules and regulations as to how the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) allow solicitors to publicise their fees to clients.The Law Society have a practice note giving advice on how to publicise transparent charges to avoid breaching any such rule. Practice notes are not legal advice issued by the Law Society and is not intended as the only standard of good practice a conveyancing solicitor should adhere to. The Practice Note does, nevertheless, represent the Law Society’s perspective of acceptable practice for publicising conveyancing charges, and accordingly it’s a recommended read for any solicitor or conveyancer in Fareham or or elsewhere in the country.