I am one month into the sale of my ground floor flat in Hull North and the estate agent has just text me to warn that the buyers are appointing a new property lawyer. The excuse is that the lender will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a major mortgage company only deal with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Hull North ?

Banks have always had panels of law firms that can act for them, but in the last few years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for decades.

Lenders attribute this action to a rise in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been narrowed 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 says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms are unaware that 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.

My husband and I intend to remortgage our penthouse in Hull North with Kent Reliance. We have a son 19 who lives at home. Our solicitor requested us to identify anyone over the age of 17 other than ourselves who lives in the flat. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the flat is repossessed. I have a couple of questions (1) Is this form unique to the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we purchased 5 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this compromise his rights to inherit the property?

On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Kent Reliance. This is solely used to protect Kent Reliance if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Kent Reliance had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

Is there a list of HSBC panel solicitors in Hull North on the Council of Mortgage Lender’s Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such directory service on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. A small selection of mortgage companies make their panel listings viewable over the internet. Where you are looking for a Hull North solicitor on the HSBC please use our facility.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Hull North. I have a mortgage offer with Santander. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use 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 Santander, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Santander conveyancing panel.

At last I have had an offer on an apartment in Hull North agreed to, the sellers do nevertheless have an associated purchase. The sellers have put an offer on on an apartment, however it’s not yet tied up, and are looking at other properties booked. I have instructed a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Hull North. What should be my next step? At what point do I apply for the mortgage with Santander?

It is understandable to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses prematurely (home loan application is approx £1k, then survey, Hull North conveyancing search fees, etc). First, you must check that your conveyancer is on the Santander approved list. Concerning the subsequent stages this very much dictated by the circumstances of your case, desire for the property and on the state of the market. In a rising market the majority of buyers would apply for a home loan with Santander and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their lawyer to move forward with searches.

Have purchased a a semi-detached house in Hull North , how long will it take for the Land Registry to register my ownership? My Hull North conveyancing solicitor works at snail pace, so I want to be certain the registration is concluded.

As far as conveyancing in Hull North is concerned, registration is no faster or slower than the rest of the country. Rather than based on location, timescales can adjust subject to the party submitting the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry have to notify any other parties. As of today roughly 80% of such applications are fully addressed within 12 days but occasionally there can be extensive hold-ups. Historically registration occurs once the new owner is living at the property so an expedited registration is not always an essential issue yet where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your solicitor can contact the land registry and explain the circumstances.

As co-executor for the will of my father I am selling a property in Cardiff but reside in Hull North. My conveyancer (who is 260 kilometers from mehas requested that I sign a stat dec before the transaction finalising. Can you recommend a conveyancing solicitor in Hull North to attest this legal document for me?

strictly speaking you should not be required to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are based in Hull North