My fiance and I are looking to buy a house in Padstow and are in fact using a Padstow conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Birmingham Midshires have this morning contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Padstow lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?

When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your lender and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Padstow solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

After reviewing consumer advice sites for a high-quality solicitor in Padstow, many post that I should instruct a CQS assured lawyer. Can you explain what CQS is?

The Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) provides a recognised quality standard for residential conveyancing practices issued by the Law Society. Membership achievement establishes a level of credibility for member firms with stakeholders (regulators, lenders, insurers and consumers) based upon: * the integrity of the senior responsible officer and other key conveyancing staff * the firm's adherence to good practice management standards * adherence to prudent and efficient conveyancing processes through the scheme protocol It covers numerous companies who carry out conveyancing in Padstow.

I was recommended by a number of property agents in Padstow to choose a conveyancer using your seach tool. Is there a financial upside for Estate Agents to market your lawyers ahead of alternative conveyancing organisations?

We refuse to make any financial incentive for pointing buyers and sellers our way. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission because members of the public would think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.

I am using a search engine for the term cheap conveyancing in Padstow it reveals numerous solicitorsin the vicinity. How do I determine which is the suitable conveyancer for purchase transaction?

The preferential method of seeking a suitable conveyancer is via personal referral, so ask colleagues and relatives who have purchased a property in Padstow or a local estate agent or financial adviser. Charges for conveyancing in Padstow differ, so it's advisable to obtain at least three fee estimates from different companies. Be sure to seek confirmation what costs in the quote includes.

I am looking for Padstow conveyancing quotes online. Can I be confident that all the Padstow law firms that are listed on your website are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel?

The law firms on our directory have assured us via an online form that they are on the lender panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the lender panel. To date we have not been informed by either a lender or a member of the public that the data about a specific Padstow conveyancing solicitor being on the mortgage company conveyancing panel is not accurate.