I am progressing with the sale of my apartment in Tilbury and the EA has just called to advise that the purchasers are swapping solicitor. I am told that this is due to the fact that the mortgage company will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a major mortgage company only deal with specific law firms rather the firm that they want to appoint to handle their conveyancing in Tilbury ?

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 more than 15 years.

Banks blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. Banks tend not to disclose 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. 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 not going to have any impact on this.

My wife and I have recently bought a property in Tilbury. We have since encountered a number of problems with the house which we believe were omitted in the conveyancing searches. What action can we take? Can you clarify the type of searches that needed to have been ordered as part of conveyancing in Tilbury?

It is not clear from the question as to the nature of the problems and if they are relate to conveyancing in Tilbury. Conveyancing searches and investigations initiated during the legal transfer of property are supposed to help avoid problems. As part of the legal transfer of property, a seller fills in a questionnaire referred to as a SPIF. answers is incorrect, you could possibly take legal action against the seller for any losses that you have suffered. The survey should have identified any problems with the structure of the property. Assuming a detailed survey was carried out and the issues were not identified, you may have a claim against the surveyor. However, if you did not have a full survey, you may be responsible for fixing any defects that have now been noted. We would always encourage buyers to take every possible step to ensure they are completely aware of the condition of a property before purchase regardless of whether they are buying in Tilbury.

Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Tilbury. My lender is Chelsea Building Society

Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 23/7/2024, the requirements read as follows :

is it true that all Tilbury conveyancing solicitors on the Lloyds conveyancing panel are overseen by the SRA?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Lloyds approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the SRA. Some lenders do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such practice would be governed by the CLC.

How can we know in advance if a Tilbury conveyancing solicitor on the Coventry BS panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Tilbury seeking recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always advocate that you speak with the solicitor handling your conveyancing.

I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Tilbury. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their lawyer. I paid an upfront payment of £175. A couple of days later, the lawyer called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Nottingham panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

We are hoping to purchase a repossessed flat in Tilbury and the vendor require completion within 28 days. Can a conveyancer complete in this timeframe? Would it be better to use a high street Tilbury firm or an online company that advertises to complete quickly?

Visit your Tilbury shopping parade. Pop in to a couple of companies and request to see a conveyancing solicitor for an estimate. Set out your situation and seek a commitment on deadlines. Choose the one that comes across as most trustworthy. Make sure to select a property lawyer on the panel of solicitors acceptable to your mortgage company.