I am in the process of selling my maisonette in Shildon and the estate agent has just telephoned to say that the purchasers are changing their law firm. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only engage with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a big named lender only deal with specific law firms rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Shildon ?

Lenders have always had an approved set of law firms they are content to work with, but in recent years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for many years.

Lending institutions justify this action to a rise in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some 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. The purchasers are not going to have any impact on this.

My flat in Shildon is up for sale and I have a buyer. Does my lawyer have to be required to be on the Skipton conveyancing panel in order to deal with redeeming my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Skipton 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 requirements fairly frequently in recent years.

I used Wolstenholmes several years past for my conveyancing in Shildon. Now, I need the documents however the law firm has closed. What do I do?

Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Shildon of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and found one round the corner in Shildon I like with open areas and railway links in the vicinity, however it only has 49 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Shildon suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will be an issue. Reduce the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you may request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

What can I expect to pay for conveyancing in Shildon?

The amount you are charged for conveyancing in Shildon may vary dramatically from firm to firm. In the circumstances it is particularly important that you find this out before you choose a conveyancer. It is advisable to find three or four like for like quotes.