My husband and I are hoping to buy a flat in Upper Norwood and are in fact using a Upper Norwood conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our property lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. National Westminster Bank have this morning contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Upper Norwood conveyancer is not on their conveyancing panel. Please explain?

If you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is standard for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Upper Norwood solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.

Me and my partner are acquiring our first property. Our conveyancing practitioner has e-mailedto see if we would like to take out extra conveyancing searches. Frankly we have no idea as to what's relevant for conveyancing in Upper Norwood

The scope of Upper Norwood conveyancing searches depends entirely on the property, the location, the probability of any of these risks, your knowledge of the area and risks, your general appetite to risk. What is important is that you properly understand what information the searches could supply. Then you can make a decision if you personally think you need that information. Should you be uncertain, ask the conveyancing practitioner to explain.

I am helping my aunt sell her property in Upper Norwood. Will the solicitor order an energy assessment or it is for me to see to?

Following the abolition of HIPs, EPC’s was retained a mandatory part of moving house. An energy performance certificate must be commissioned prior to the property being put on the market. This is not something that solicitors ordinarily organise. Where you are instructing a Upper Norwood conveyancing lawyer they may be able to arrange EPC’s due to their relationships with long established Upper Norwood assessors

When it comes to mortgage companies such as HSBC, do Upper Norwood conveyancing practitioners incur a yearly amount to be on the conveyancing panel?

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

HSBC have agreed my home loan in principle, my offer on a flat in Upper Norwood has been agreed to, now what?

The property agent will need to be advised as to your conveyancing practitioner's details (make sure the lawyers are on the bank’s approved list). Contact HSBC or your financial adviser and finish off any appropriate paperwork. HSBC will sellect a valuer who will get in contact with the selling agent or vendor to schedule an appointment. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes on average ten days to get a mortgage offer. HSBC will issue the offer to you and your conveyancing practitioners. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Upper Norwood.

I used Action Conveyancing several years past for my conveyancing in Upper Norwood. Now, I need my files however the law firm has closed. What do I do?

You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Upper Norwood of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

How do I use the search tool to get a costs illustration from a conveyancing lawyer in Upper Norwood on the approved list for my lender?

1st choose a bank such as Birmingham Midshires, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society or Aldermore then choose your preferred area for instance Upper Norwood. Conveyancing firms in Upper Norwood and nationally should be shown.