I am six weeks into the sale of my flat in Streetly and the estate agent has just text me to warn that the purchasers are switching solicitor. The excuse is that the mortgage company will only engage with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a leading lender only engage with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Streetly ?

Lenders have always had an approved set of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as HSBC, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for over 25 years.

Mortgage companies justify this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the reduction – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your purchasers are unlikely to have any impact on this.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Streetly. I have a mortgage agreed with Nationwide. 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 Nationwide, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Nationwide conveyancing panel.

I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in July 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Nottingham are being difficult. The Streetly solicitor who is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Nottingham are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Nottingham have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Nottingham have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Nottingham may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

About to purchase flat in Streetly. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Streetly conveyancing practitioner is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.

I am looking for a flat up to £195,000 and found one near me in Streetly I like with a park and transport links nearby, however it only has 61 years on the lease. There is not much else in Streetly for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?

If you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term may be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this.

I'm converting the mortgage on my primary property to a BTL loan with Bank of Ireland and intend to use the remaining equity towards another property. The area we are talking about is Streetly. Will your conveyancers be able to act for both sets of lenders and link together the two deals?

Do use our search tool on this page to be sure that the conveyancers are approved by both lenders. On the basis that they are your solicitor should be able to simultaneously deal with the two transactions but you should have a chat with you solicitor and communicate your expectations and requirements.

I need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor for remortgage conveyancing in Streetly. I have stumble upon a web site which seems to have the perfect offering If it is possible to get all this stuff completed via web that would be ideal. Do I need to be concerned? What are the potential pitfalls?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?