My IFA requires my St Pancras lawyer’ panel member for the Nationwide conveyancing panel. Can you suggest how I find this out. I have e-mailed my local St Pancras branch but they have not responded to me.

You are best placed to get this information from your St Pancras solicitor . Most St Pancras law practices will retain a file or database of lender panel information which would include, if applicable, their conveyancing panel details for each bank.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in St Pancras off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Nottingham. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Nottingham, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Nottingham conveyancing panel.

I can not fathom if my bank obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have telephoned my St Pancras bank branch on various occasions and was told it does not affect the mortgage offer and they would lend. My St Pancras conveyancing solicitor - who is on the lender conveyancing panel- called to say that they would not lend based on their published requirements. I simply don't know who is right.

Your conveyancer has to comply with the CML Handbook Part 2 provisions for your bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in St Pancras. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £175. Shortly after, the solicitor called me to say that they were not on the TSB 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 TSB 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.

I have todayfound out that Wolstenholmes have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in St Pancras for a purchase of a freehold house 12 months ago. How can I be sure that my home is registered correctly in the name of the former proprietor?

The easiest method to see if the property is registered to you, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of St Pancras conveyancing specialists.

My husband and I are first time buyers - had an offer accepted, but the selling agent informed us that the seller will only go ahead if we appoint their preferred solicitors as they need an ‘expedited deal’. We would rather use a family solicitor who is accustomed to conveyancing in St Pancras

We suspect that the seller is unaware of this request. If they want ‘a quick sale', turning down a serious purchaser is is going to put the whole deal at risk. Bypass the agents and go straight to the owners and explain that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you have nothing to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you intend to use your preferred St Pancras conveyancing firm - not the ones that will give the estate agent a referral fee or meet his conveyancing thresholds demanded by head office.

My partner and I have had DIP from Bank of Scotland who have advised we could borrow up to £117k. At what point do I need to instruct a solicitor for conveyancing? St Pancras is where we are buying.

You can appoint a conveyancer now so that the conveyancer can open the ledger so they can commence the ID checks etc. Once you wish them to commence work you will be asked for a payment on account usually about £175. That would generally be after you have the loan offer from your bank and valuation back, nevertheless should you wish to speed matters you can start sooner even though you may be risking some money.