I am selling my flat in Oakleigh Park. Does the solicitor need to be required to be on the Aldermore conveyancing panel in order to deal with redeeming my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Aldermore conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their panel criteria fairly frequently at the moment.

Me and my brother own a terraced Victorian house in Oakleigh Park. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Halifax. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the matching address. Is it worth asking Halifax to clarify?

You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Oakleigh Park and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also check the position with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the purchase.

I have been recommended by a few selling agents in Oakleigh Park to choose a conveyancer using your seach tool. What’s the financial advantage for Estate Agents to promote your services over a competitor’s?

We refuse to give any financial incentive for directing people in our direction. We found it would be just too difficult to pay a commission as members of the public would think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.

My step-father has urged me to instruct his lawyers for conveyancing in Oakleigh Park. Do I follow his recommendation?

No doubt it’s preferable to choose a conveyancing lawyer is to have recommendations from friends or relatives who have experience in using the solicitor that you are contemplating using.

I am due to review quotes for conveyancing in Oakleigh Park from three conveyancing practitioner and appoint one. Am I right to get them to sit tight until I a suitable apartment to buy.

We suggest that you only ask your solicitor to open a file and submit searches after the offer has been accepted on the property particularly as Oakleigh Park conveyancing searches are a couple of hundred pounds.