I am selling my home in Stepney and the estate agent has just text me to advise that the purchasers are appointing a new property lawyer. The excuse is that the mortgage company will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a leading lender only deal with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Stepney ?

Banks have always had an approved set of law firms that can act for them, but in the past few years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for many years.

Lending institutions blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are not going to have any impact on this.

We see that you have a search directory listing law firms on the conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a referral fee if I appoint them for our own conveyancing in Stepney?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Stepney.

My husband and I are novice buyers - had an offer accepted, yet the estate agent informed us that the owners will only move forward if we appoint their preferred solicitors as they need a ‘quick sale’. My instinct tells me that we should use a local solicitor who is accustomed to conveyancing in Stepney

We suspect that the owner is not behind this demand. Should the seller desire ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a serious purchaser is likely to cause more damage than good. Contact the vendors directly and make sure they understand (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances arranged © you do not need to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you intend to appoint your own,trusted Stepney conveyancing firm - as opposed tothose that will earn the estate agent a commission or achieve conveyancing thresholds set by senior management.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Stepney - Examples of Questions you should consider before buying

Best to be warned whether changing the roof or some other major work is pending that will be shared between the leasehold owners and will materially increase the the maintenance fees or result in a specific invoice. What is the name of the managing agents?

Can a conveyancer remove someone from the title of my home in Stepney ?

Removing or adding someone to the title of your property is relatively straightforward. You’ll need to appoint a to discuss your legal rights before you can proceed with a transfer of property. Contact us to book a free consultation with one a