My husband and I are looking to buy a property in Gamlingay and are in fact using a Gamlingay conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Santander have this afternoon contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Gamlingay solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. Is this a problem?

When purchasing a property with mortgage finance 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 mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Gamlingay lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.

I sincerely hope you can assist me. My Gamlingay lawyer is advising me that he is legally obliged toorder Gamlingay conveyancing searches becausethe firm are on the Virgin Moneysolicitor panel. Do I not have a choice here?

You have limited options available to you. As you are taking a mortgage with a mortgage company your solicitor has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your conveyancer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your lender’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook provisions . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Gamlingay conveyancing searches.

What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Gamlingay? Is this really warranted?

You are right in these requests have nothing to do with conveyancing in Gamlingay. However these days you will not be able to complete any conveyancing deal in the absence providing evidence of your identity. Ordinarily this takes the form of a either your passport or driving licence as well as a council tax bill. Please note that if you are supplying your driving licence as evidence of ID it must be both the paper part as well as the photo card part, one is not sufficient in the absence of the other.

Proof of your origin of monies is mandated in accordance with the Money Laundering Regulations. You should not be offended when you are asked to produce this as your conveyancer will need to have this information on file. Your Gamlingay conveyancing solicitor will need to see evidence of proof of funds before they are able to accept any monies from you into their client account and they should also ask additional queries regarding the origin of monies.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Gamlingay off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Virgin Money. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Virgin Money, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.

I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Gamlingay. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £150. A few days later, the solicitor contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Principality conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Principality panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Lloyds have agreed my mortgage in principle, my bid on a apartment in Gamlingay has been accepted, what happens next?

Your property agent will wish to know who your solicitors are (make sure the conveyancers are on the lender’s panel). Telephone Lloyds or your broker and finish off any relevant paperwork. Lloyds will appoint a valuer who will get in contact with the selling agent or owners to book an appointment. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes on average a fortnight to receive the mortgage offer. Lloyds will issue the offer to you and your conveyancers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Gamlingay.

What is the reason for my property lawyer requiring various items of identification ahead of starting my conveyancing in Gamlingay?

Gamlingay lawyers are required by the Law Society, Solicitors Regulation Authority, HM Land Registry and current Money Laundering legislation to record that the have checked the identity of their clients. It is also sometimes a requirement of your mortgage offer. In addition they have to complete various forms, particularly those relating to Land Tax and need to have information such as your full names, NI number and date of birth.