I am one month into the sale of my house in Victoria and the EA has just e-mailed to say that the purchasers are appointing a new solicitor. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a big named mortgage company only engage with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in Victoria ?

Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms they are content to work with, but in recent years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for many years.

Lenders blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. 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. Plenty of firms 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. The buyers are unlikely to have any impact on this.

The deeds to our home are lost. The conveyancers who conducted the conveyancing in Victoria 10 years ago are no longer around. What are my next steps?

In today’s world there are copies made of almost everything, and your conveyancer will know exactly where to locate all the suitable paperwork so you can buy or sell your property without a hitch. If duplicates are not available, your lawyer can arrange cover in the form of insurance or indemnities protecting you against possible claims on the premises.

I am buying my first flat in Victoria with the aid of help to buy. The builders refused to reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent advised me not reveal to my lawyer about this side-deal as it may jeopardize my loan with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and found one round the corner in Victoria I like with open areas and railway links nearby, however it only has 52 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Victoria in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?

If you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this.

Is it possible to change conveyancer as I have to appoint a firm on the National Westminster Bank conveyancing panel. I hired a high street conveyancing solicitor in Victoria five minutes from me but she is not accepted by National Westminster Bank

We will our best to assist in finding you a conveyancing solicitor in Victoria on the National Westminster Bank panel. Please note that the property lawyers that we list do not pay us a referral fee if you instruct them and are registered with the SRA who oversee all conveyancing solicitors in Victoria. Using the find a conveyancing solicitor tool on this website, you can scrutinise fees for conveyancing solicitors in Victoria and beyond.