I am progressing with the sale of my apartment in Maryport and the estate agent has just e-mailed to say that the buyers are appointing a new solicitor. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only work with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a leading lender only engage with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Maryport ?

Banks have always had an approved set of law firms that can act for them, but in the past few years big names such as Santander, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for more than 15 years.

Banks blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are not going to have any impact on this.

Our conveyancer has uncovered a a problem with the lease for the apartment we are purchasing in Maryport. The seller’s lawyers have put forward title insurance as a solution. We are content with insurance and will cover the costs. Our conveyancing practitioner has advised that he must be satisfied that the lender is happy with this solution. Who is the client here, us or the lender?

The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the potential for a conflict of interest, you and the lender are the client. Your lawyer must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook specifications. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects with the lease so that the bank can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your conveyancing practitioner will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.

I am the single recipient of my late grandmother’s will and I have everything in my name now, including the house in Maryport. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in April. I plan to dispose of the property. I understand that there is a CML 6 month 'rule', which means that my property ownership could be regarded the same way as though I had purchased the house in April. Is the property unsalable for six months?

The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook instructs solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you might be caught by that. How sensible a view mortgage companies take of it, depend on the lender as this provision is primarily there to identify subsales or the flipping of properties.

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Bank of Ireland, do Maryport solicitors incur a fee to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are unaware of any lender fees to register on their panel, although some do levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

We were going to get a DIP from Nottingham this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Nottingham recommend any Maryport solicitors on the Nottingham conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

You will need to appoint Maryport solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Nottingham through the process.

Will commercial conveyancing searches reveal impending roadworks that could affect a commercial property in Maryport?

Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in Maryport will order a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers expend in investigating accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Maryport. The search result provides definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Maryport.

For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Maryport it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately could result in delays to Maryport commercial conveyancing deals as well as present a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not ordered for residential conveyancing in Maryport.

Developers have recommended to me a property lawyer and I've obtained a quote from them. It's almost £250 less expensive than my preferred Maryport lawyer. What's the catch?

Builders normally have lists of conveyancing practitioners who are quick and who know the developer’s contract and conveyancing practitioner. As many developers offer an incentive to use their approved conveyancer for this reason, any increased fees can be avoided and a builder won't suggest a conveyancing warehouse and run the risk of having the conveyancing stall when they need an exchange inside a month. The argument for not agreeing to use the recommended property lawyer is that they may prove hesitant to fight for your interests at the risk of alienating the housebuilder. If you worry that this may be the case you should keep with your local Maryport property lawyer.