We are buying a 2 bedroom apartment in Stockton Heath with a mortgage. We have a Stockton Heath solicitor, but the lender says she’s not on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to select one of the bank panel conveyancing practices or retain our Stockton Heath lawyer and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. This feels very unfair; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you 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. Another option that might be available is for your Stockton Heath conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

Can I use your services to locate a Conveyancing solicitor in Stockton Heath even where I’m not buying or disposing of a house, for example if I want to acquire a shop in Stockton Heath with a loan from Lloyds TSB Bank?

Our comparison service is mainly utilised to help choose residential conveyancing solicitors in Stockton Heath but we have listed towards the bottom of this page a few Stockton Heath commercial conveyancing firms. You should make contact with the solicitors directly to establish if they are also authorised to represent Lloyds TSB Bank

The Stockton Heath conveyancing lawyers that I appointed last week on my purchase in Stockton Heath have suddenly closed. I chose them because I needed a firm on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel and my family Stockton Heath lawyer was not. I paid them £170 in advance. What are my options?

Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then let them know immediately so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers should be in a position to help.

My wife and I buying a victorian detached house in Stockton Heath. Our aim is to convert the garage to a playroom at the property.Will the conveyancing process include investigations to determine if these alterations are prohibited?

Your property lawyer will check the registered title as conveyancing in Stockton Heath will on occasion reveal restrictions in the title deeds which restrict certain works or require the consent of a 3rd party. Some works need local authority planning consent and approval in accordance building regulations. Many areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.

When it comes to lenders such as Yorkshire BS, do Stockton Heath conveyancers have to pay a fee to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are not aware of any lender fees to be on their panel, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

I have instructed a Stockton Heath conveyancer having checked that they are on the UBS conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

UBS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually UBS will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Stockton Heath surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

Please can you clarify what options are available to me where my Stockton Heath conveyancing searches reveals detrimental entries?

Usually, most problems disclosed in Stockton Heath conveyancing search responses can be addressed before completion or title insurance may be put on cover. It is important to remember that although you intend on buying the property and might be content to live with the search results, your building society or bank may not, and when all said and done have the final decision.