We wish to acquire a newly converted apartment in Tadworth with a loan from Alliance & Leicester .We use our Tadworth conveyancing practitioner but Alliance & Leicester informed us her practice is not on their approved list of member firms. We have to appoint a Alliance & Leicester panel lawyer or keep our preferred solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The home loan issued to you is subject to its various provisions, a common one being that conveyancers will be on the Alliance & Leicester approved list. in the past, 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 solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Alliance & Leicester

Will my solicitor be making enquiries regarding flooding as part of the conveyancing in Tadworth.

Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors dealing with homes in Tadworth. There are those who buy a property in Tadworth, fully aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or sell the property. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.

Conveyancers are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a number of checks that can be undertaken by the purchaser or on a buyer’s behalf which can give them a better understanding of the risks in Tadworth. The standard property information forms given to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) contains a standard question of the seller to discover if the property has suffered from flooding. If the premises has been flooded in past and is not notified by the owner, then a buyer may commence a legal claim for losses stemming from an inaccurate reply. A buyer’s conveyancers will also commission an environmental report. This will indicate whether there is any known flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries will need to be carried out.

I was pointed in your direction by a couple of local estate agents in Tadworth to get a quote from a property lawyer on your site. What’s the financial inducement for Estate Agents to recommend your lawyers over another?

We refuse to offer any financial incentive for sending work to this site. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission as a client could think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

In my capacity as executor for the estate of my grandfather I am selling a property in Monmouth but reside in Tadworth. My conveyancer (based 260 miles awayneeds me to sign a statutory declaration ahead of completion. Can you recommend a conveyancing practitioner in Tadworth to witness this legal document for me?

strictly speaking you are unlikely to be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally any notary public or solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are Tadworth based

At last I have had an offer on an maisonette in Tadworth agreed to, the owner does nevertheless have a tied purchase. The sellers have submitted an offer on somewhere, although it’s not yet agreed to, and are looking at other apartments in the pipeline. I have instructed a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Tadworth. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with Barclays going with Barclays?

It is understandable to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (home loan application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then survey, Tadworth conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you should ensure that your lawyer is on the Barclays approved list. Concerning the next phase this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your case, desire for the property and on the state of the market. During a rising market many purchasers would apply for a home loan with Barclays and pay for the survey and only if it was satisfactory would they request their conveyancing practitioner to move forward with the conveyancing in Tadworth.