Is the fact that my conveyancer in Selly Oak is not listed on my mortgage company's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of his work?

It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) lack of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Where you are concerned you should simply call the Selly Oak conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.

The owners have rather brash sellers who has recommended a preliminary agreement with a deposit two thousand pounds. Are such agreements promoted for Selly Oak conveyancing transactions?

There are two primary concerns with signing a lock out agreement (also termed an exclusivity agreement) is that it takes away the focus from making progress with the conveyancing transaction itself, so unless it requires limited or no negotiation then it may transpire to be a cause of frustration and delay. It is not strongly advocated amongst Selly Oak conveyancing practitioners as a result. A further issue is the extent of the remedies available - a jilted purchaser should not expect to secure an injunctive ruling by a court to prevent the seller completing the sale to an alternative purchaser, so the only remedy open via the contract will be the recovery of abortive charges and, in limited circumstances, the additional payment of penalties.

I have been told that property searches are the primary cause of hinderance in Selly Oak house deals. Is that correct?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released determinations of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the most frequent causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in Selly Oak.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Selly Oak is the location of the property. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Selly Oak are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Selly Oak you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Selly Oak may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

My 20yr old son is embarking on her first house purchase, he had his mortgage in principle. After the seller agreed the offer on the flat we rang the lender to progress the mortgage application. We were very surprised to discover that mortgage companies do not accept all , they need to be on their approved list, is this correct?

Lenders normally restrict either the type or the number of conveyancing practices on their panel. A common example of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that lenders have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any Selly Oak on their panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, conveyancing is not their speciality. To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime? Probably not.