I can't travel far from Southend. Is there a reason why all Southend lawyers aren't automatically on all mortgage company panels?

Banks point to the fact that solicitor-led fraud is thought to be responsible for millions of pounds of fraud annually.The elimination of law firms off of lender panels started with the rise in mortgage fraud, which prompted a thematic review by the FSA in 2011. Its outcome included recommendations for mortgage companies to review their conveyancing panels, which triggered a major policy change in the sector. This led to lenders culling a number of firms off their books of approved conveyancers .

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Nationwide, do Southend conveyancers have to pay a yearly amount to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are unaware of any mortgage company fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

My partner and I have arranged the release of further monies on our mortgage from Bank of Ireland as we want to conduct alterations to our property in Southend. Are we obliged to choose a local Southend solicitor on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Bank of Ireland would not normally require a member of their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Bank of Ireland list.

After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Southend. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their solicitor. I paid an upfront payment of £225. A few days later, the conveyancer contacted me to say that they were not on the Principality conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Principality panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

How does conveyancing in Southend differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Southend come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is completed. This is because builders in Southend typically buy the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Southend or who has acted in the same development.

I have been recommended by numerous property agents in Southend to select a property lawyer using your seach tool. Is there a financial inducement for Estate Agents to market your services over another?

We don’t offer any referral fee for pointing buyers and sellers our way. We thought it would be too underhand a fee 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.

What are your top tips when it comes to choosing a Southend conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a property lawyer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Southend conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you make enquires with two or three firms including non Southend conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions might be helpful:

What are the costs for lease extension conveyancing? How many lease extensions have they conducted in Southend in the last 12 months?

We have reached the end of our tether in trying to purchase the freehold in Southend. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?

if there is a absentee landlord or if there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant statutes you can apply to the LVT to judgment on the price payable.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Southend property is 75 Woolstone Road in February 2012. the decision of the Tribunal was that the appropriate amount to be paid to purchase the freehold was the sum of £17,711 . This case affected 2 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 68.28 and 158.