My husband and I are intent on buying a ground floor flat in Ladywood. My property lawyer has never been on on the mortgage company conveyancing panel. Am I still permitted to continue with my Ladywood conveyancing solicitor even though they are excluded from the mortgage company panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?

One will need to have a conveyancer to complete the legal work required when you need a loan to buy your home. The property lawyer will carry out all the necessary due diligence on the property, ensuring that you will be registered as proprietor and ensure that all the required mortgage documentation is in place. One can select a Ladywood conveyancer of your choosing. However, where the lawyer appointed is not a member of the bank approved list additional fees will be incurred as separate legal representation will be need by the mortgage company. Bank panel applications can be submitted, so where your solicitor has not previously applied for membership they can do so.

I have been told that property searches are the number one reason for obstruction in Ladywood house deals. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature within the top 10 causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Local searches are not likely to be the root cause of delay in conveyancing in Ladywood.

I used Arc property Solicitors a few years ago for my conveyancing in Ladywood. I now require my file however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing 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 Ladywood 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.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on last month in what was supposed to be a quick, no chain conveyancing. Ladywood is the location of the property. Can you offer any opinion?

Flying freeholds in Ladywood are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Ladywood you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Ladywood may decide 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 property.

We are in the process of purchasing a flat in Ladywood. Conveyancing is not over but we wish to keep the amount we are are purchasing for a secret from the likes of Zoopla. Is this achievable and how?

HM Land Registry by statute are bound to note price paid data on the official title for domestic properties nationwide including premises in Ladywood. The Title Register is a public document, so HM Land Registry would be breaking the law excluded specific homes such as the one in Ladywood.

In essence you can ask HMLR to hide the amount paid entry however the response will be in the negative.