I am in the process of selling my flat in West Ham and the EA has just text me to warn that the buyers are appointing a new solicitor. The reason given is that the bank will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a big named mortgage company only engage with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in West Ham ?

UK lenders 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 worked with them for decades.

Lenders point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms are unaware that 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.

Can your site be used to recommend a Conveyancing solicitor in West Ham even if I’m not buying or disposing of a house, for instance where I want to acquire an office in West Ham with a loan from Bank of Ireland?

Our search tool is primarily there to select residential conveyancing solicitors in West Ham but we have listed at the bottom of this page some West Ham commercial conveyancing firms. You should enquire with the firm directly to see if they can also act for Bank of Ireland

I have been told that property searches are the number one cause of stalling in West Ham house deals. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the findings of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the top 10 causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Searches are unlikely to be the root cause of slowing down conveyancing in West Ham.

Is it possible to switch conveyancer as I need to retain a firm on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. I was using a high street conveyancing solicitor in West Ham round the corner but the firm is not approved by Clydesdale

It would be our pleasure to help you select a conveyancing solicitor in West Ham on the Clydesdale panel. Please note that the solicitors that we list do not pay us fee if you instruct them and are authorised and regulated by the SRA who regulate all conveyancing solicitors in West Ham. In utilising the find a conveyancing solicitor tool on this page, you can compare and instruct different solicitors and conveyancers both nationally and in West Ham.

Expecting to complete next month on a leasehold property in West Ham. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they report fully within the next couple of days. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in West Ham should include some of the following:

Whether the lease restricts you from subletting the property, or having a home office for business The unexpired lease term. You should be advised as what happens when the lease expires, and aware of the importance of not letting the lease term falling below eighty years You should have a good understanding of the insurance requirements You should be advised what constitutes a Nuisance as far as the lease is concerned Who has the liability for repairing the window frames

I own a ground floor flat in West Ham. In the absence of agreement between myself and the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the sum due for the purchase of the freehold?

if there is a absentee landlord or where there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant legislation you can apply to the LVT to decide the sum to be paid.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a West Ham property is 46 Credon Road in January 2014. On 11 September 2013 Deputy District Judge Price sitting at the Bow County Court made a vesting order that the freeholder surrender his lease and be granted a new lease of the Premises on such terms as may be determined by the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).The appropriate sum as concluded by the Tribunal was £7225 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 69.77 years.