My fiance and I are planning to purchase a flat in Gatley and are in fact using a Gatley conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our property lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. Barclays have this afternoon contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Gatley lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Please explain?

If you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the purchaser's lender. 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 solicitor 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 lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Gatley lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

We see that you have a search directory listing firms on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a commission if I appoint them for our conveyancing in Gatley?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Nationwide conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Gatley.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I have offered on two weeks back in what was supposed to be a simple, chain free conveyancing. Gatley is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Gatley are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Gatley you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Gatley may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

We are one month into a freehold purchase having been directed to conveyancers by the selling agent to handle our conveyancing in Gatley. We are not happy. Could you help me find new conveyancers?

A conveyancer would need to be really poor in order to consider diss instructing them. Has the mortgage been generated? In the event that it has you need to inform them of the new contact details and have the mortgage documents are re-issued. Your solicitor ideally should be on the banks panel to avoid added costs and delays. That should be your first question of the new conveyancers. The search tool can assist you in finding a bank approved conveyancer for your conveyancing in Gatley

Why do Gatley conveyancing fees are more expensive for leasehold and freehold properties?

Inevitably there is more work required for leasehold conveyancing. Gatley has many leasehold properties. There is more paperwork involved in the purchase: for example, the lease and leasehold information (including up to date service charge, ground rent and buildings insurance details) obtained from the freeholder or managing agents. There are strict criteria that the lease must meet in order to be acceptable to a mortgage company. If it does not meet these requirements, the lease must be amended, which can involve additional expense for the seller.