I was told recently by my estate agent that my Whetstone the law firm I have appointed is not on the mortgage company Solicitor panel. What can I do to be sure whether this is correct?

The sensible course of action for you to take is to contact your Whetstone conveyancer. You lawyer should inform you what has happened. Where they are not on the panel they may be able to suggest a Whetstone conveyancing firm that is on the conveyancing panel for your lender.

Various internet forums that I have come across warn that are the main cause of obstruction in Whetstone house deals. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released determinations of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the most frequent causes of delays during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are not likely to be the root cause of slowing down conveyancing in Whetstone.

I have been advised by three or four local property agents in Whetstone to find a solicitor on your site. What’s the financial advantage for Estate Agents to market your lawyers ahead of another?

We refuse to make any commission for pointing buyers and sellers in our direction. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission because 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.

I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing lawyer in Whetstone for my house move. Is there any facility to see a solicitor's record with the legal regulator?

You can see published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions stemming from investigations commenced on or after 1 January 2008. Go to Check a solicitor's record. To find records Pre 2008, or to check a firm's record, ring 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For callers outside the UK, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA sometimes recorded call for training purposes.

My wife and I have agreed a price on a Whetstone ground floor flat left to us some years ago in 2011. I have over a decades worth of conveyancing experience and, now retired, see no reason not to do the conveyancing. The purchaser's conveyancing practitioner has informed me that their mortgage company will not allow us to do our own conveyancing mandating that the funds to be released via a solicitor's bank account.

Lending instructions to lawyers from all CML members specify that If the vendor is not legally represented the borrower's lawyers should check whether the mortgage company needs to be informed so that a decision can be made as to whether or not they are prepared to proceed.