After what seems like an age a loan offer from HSBC for the refinancing of my single bedroom maisonette is to be issued within the next few days. Are you able to recommend a cheap conveyancing law firm in Stechford?

This site is not designed to help those in their quest for the cheapest conveyancing in Stechford. Our intention is to offer cost effective conveyancing but our intention is not to work with the cheapest lawyers. Avoid the trap of appointing brokers teasing you with £100 conveyancing in Stechford. Optimistically, in being led by low cost conveyancing, you will get your money’s worth and at worst it will result in you paying a lot in additional fees and still not end up with the service required.

My fiance and I are buying a purpose built apartment in Stechford with a mortgage from Leeds Building Society.We use our Stechford conveyancing practitioner but Leeds Building Society informed us he's not listed on their "panel". It seems we have no choice but to instruct a Leeds Building Society panel firm or retain our preferred solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that Leeds Building Society use our lawyer?

No, not really. The loan issued to you is subject to its various provisions, one of which will be that conveyancers must be on the Leeds Building Society approved list. in the past, most mortgage companies had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could find one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Leeds Building Society

I am assisting my niece sell her property in Stechford. Does the solicitor arrange an EPC or it is for me to see to?

Following the demise of HIPs, energy assessments was retained a mandatory part of selling a property. An energy assessment must be commissioned prior to the property being put on the market. This is not as aspect of the sale process that law firms ordinarily arrange. If you are using a Stechford conveyancing solicitor they might help arrange energy performance certificates given their contacts with long established Stechford providers

Is it correct that all Stechford CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Coventry BS conveyancing list of approved solicitors?

A selection of banks and building societies now make use of CQS as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to remain on their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.

I have finally had an offer on a maisonette in Stechford accepted, but there is a chain. The sellers have offered on on an apartment, but it’s not yet tied up, and are looking at other flats booked. I have selected a high street conveyancing solicitor in Stechford. What do I do now? At what stage do I apply for the mortgage with Clydesdale?

It is usual to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then survey, Stechford conveyancing search costs, etc). The first thing to do is check that your property lawyer is on the Clydesdale approved list. Regarding the next phase this very much depends on the uniqueness of your case, motivation for this property and on the state of the market. During a buoyant market some home buyers will apply for the mortgage with Clydesdale and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their solicitor to proceed with the conveyancing in Stechford.

I used Arc property Solicitors a few years past for my conveyancing in Stechford. I now require my file however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

You should 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 Stechford 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.

My lawyers in Stechford have advised me that they can not locate my conveyancing file. To assist with my purchase I took out a mortgage with the lender. Is it case that being on the lender conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a number of years?

Different lenders have different requirements but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the lender Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting the mortgage company directly.