Me and my fiance are purchasing a 3 bedroom apartment in Stockport with a mortgage. We like our Stockport solicitor, however the lender advise she’s not on their "panel". It appears that we have little choice but to use one of the mortgage company panel solicitors or continue with our Stockport and pay for one of their panel lawyers to represent them. This seems very unfair; are we not able to demand that the lender use our Stockport ?

Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose 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 Stockport conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

As someone clueless as to conveyancing in Stockport what is your top tip you can give me for the house moving process in Stockport

Not many law firms shout this from the rooftops but conveyancing in Stockport and elsewhere in is often a confrontational experience. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is an abundance of opportunity for friction between you and other parties involved in the transaction. E.g., the vendor, selling agent and on occasion a mortgage company. Selecting a solicitor for your conveyancing in Stockport an important selection as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE person in the transaction whose role it is to protect your legal interests and to keep you safe.

There is a distinct creep of a "blame" culture- someone has to be at fault for the process taking so long. You your first instinct should be to trust your lawyer ahead of the other players when it comes to the legal transfer of property.

I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £305k and identified one near me in Stockport I like with amenity areas and station nearby, the downside is that it's only got 51 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Stockport suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?

If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will be an issue. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this.

In surfing the world wide web for the term cheap conveyancing in Stockport it brings up many property lawyerslocally. How do I determine which is the right solicitor for me?

The ideal method of seeking a suitable conveyancer is through a trusted recommendation, so seek the opinion of colleagues and those you trust who have purchased a property in Stockport or the respected estate agent or financial adviser. Fees for conveyancing in Stockport vary, so it's advisable to secure a minimum of four quotes from varying types of companies. Be sure to secure confirmation what costs in the quote includes.

My son is embarking on her first house purchase, he had his mortgage in principle. After the seller agreed the offer on the apartment we telephoned the mortgage institution to progress the mortgage application. I was shocked to learn that mortgage companies do not accept all , they have to be on a list, is this correct?

Lenders normally imposes restrictions either the type or the number of conveyancing solicitors on their panel. A common example of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that lenders have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any Stockport on their panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, conveyancing is not their speciality. To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime? Probably not.