Me and my wife are acquiring a ground floor flat in Lifton. My property lawyer is not on the lender approved panel. Can I still use my Lifton conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the lender panel?

Your options include

• Carry on with your existing Lifton conveyancing practitioner but your lender will undoubtedly instruct a lawyer from their approved panel. This will result in additional cost and potential frustration.
• Get a fresh solicitor to act in the purchase, making sure they are on the bank conveyancing panel.
• Convince your property lawyer to seek to join the lender panel

We have very pushy sellers who has recommended a preliminary agreement with a non-refundable deposit two thousand pounds. Are such arrangements recommended for Lifton conveyancing transactions?

Exclusivity agreements are agreements between a property owner and prospective acquirer granting the buyer the sole right to the sale of the property for a set period of time. For all intents and purposes, a lock out agreement is a contract stating that you should be issued with a contract at a later time which is the contract for the actual sale. It is generally utilised for buyer confidence though in many situations, the proprietor may stand to benefit from such agreements as well. There are various positives and negatives to having an agreement but you need to check with your lawyer but beware that it may end up incurring more in conveyancing fees. In light of this these contracts are not popular in relation to conveyancing in Lifton.

Do I have to have a meeting at the offices of the solicitor to execute the legal charge? If so, I will appoint a lawyer who conducts conveyancing in Lifton so that I can pop in to their offices when needed.

Nowadays approved lawyers for lenders undertake all of the work via Royal Mail, internet or over the phone. This means that they can undertake the legal work for your home move regardless of where you live in England or Wales. That being said you should check if you can still book an appointment to visit conveyancing lawyer if needed.

I moved into my apartment on 16 May and the transaction details are still not on the land registry website. Any reason for this? My conveyancing solicitor in Lifton expressed confidence that it would be concluded in less than a month. Are properties in Lifton uniquely lengthy to register?

As far as conveyancing in Lifton is concerned, registration is no faster or slower than anywhere else in England and Wales. Rather than based on location, timeframes can differ according to who lodges the application, whether it is in order and if the Land registry must send notices to any third parties. Currently roughly three quarters of such applications are fully addressed in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be longer hold-ups. Registration takes place once the purchaser is living at the premises thus 'speed' is not typically primary concern but 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.

I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing lawyer in Lifton for my sale. Is there any facility to review a solicitor's complaints history with the profession’s regulator?

One may read presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions stemming from investigations from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For information Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors record, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. International callers, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA could recorded telephone calls for training requirements.