Please help. My Sandwich lawyer is informing me me that he is legally obliged toconduct Sandwich conveyancing searches stemming from the fact thatthe firm are on the Santanderconveyancing panel. These Sandwich searches cost a lot of money can this be avoided?

Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. As you are obtaining a mortgage with a bank your property lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your conveyancing practitioner would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the CML Handbook requirements . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Sandwich conveyancing searches.

We see that you have a post code search directory listing solicitors on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a referral fee if I instruct them for our own conveyancing in Sandwich?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Sandwich.

I am selling my apartment in Sandwich. Will my conveyancer have to be on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel in order to deal with paying off my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Clydesdale 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 in recent years.

My father has urged me to appoint his conveyancing solicitors in Sandwich. Do I follow his guidance?

There are no two ways about it the best way to select a conveyancing solicitor is to get feedback from friends or family who have actually used the solicitor that you are are thinking of instructing.

Are there any specific benefits to choosing a local lawyer in Sandwich

Many buyers and sellers in Sandwich choose a nearby high street conveyancing practitioner so that they can attend the firm’s offices just in case they have questions, and to deliver paperwork rather than run the risk of relying on the Royal Mail.

One could argue that there exists a distinct benefit when using a conveyancer nearby to a house you are purchasing, due to the knowledge of the locality and possible local issues - however this is moot. Most conveyancers undertaking their communications by way of email and may be any place in the world.