I was notified today by my mortgage adviser that my Widnes property lawyer is not on the bank Conveyancing panel. What can I do to be sure whether this is correct?

Your first step should be to contact your Widnes lawyer directly. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to notify you of the situation. Where they are not on the panel they may recommend you to a Widnes conveyancing firm that is on the approved list of lawyers for your bank.

What is the first thing I need to know about purchase conveyancing in Widnes?

Not many law firms shout this from the rooftops but conveyancing in Widnes or throughout Cheshire is often a confrontational experience. In other words, when it comes to conveyancing there is plenty of opportunity for confrontation between you and others involved in the transaction. For instance, the vendor, selling agent and on occasion a lender. Choosing a law firm for your conveyancing in Widnes an important selection as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE party in the legal process whose role it is to look after your best interests and to keep you safe.

On occasion a third party with a vested interest may try and convince you that you should follow their advice. As an example, the property agent may claim to be assisting by claiming that your lawyer is slow. Or your mortgage broker may tell you to do something that is contrary to your solicitors recommendation. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties when it comes to the legal transfer of property.

We are buying a newbuild apartment in Widnes with a loan from Barnsley Building Society.We have a Widnes conveyancing lawyer but Barnsley Building Society informed us his firm is not listed on their "panel". It seems we have no choice but to instruct a Barnsley Building Society panel firm or keep our preferred solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage issued to you contains various provisions, a common one being that solicitors will be on the Barnsley Building Society solicitor panel. Until recently, most mortgage companies had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could find one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Barnsley Building Society

Do I find a Licenced Conveyancer or Solicitor for conveyancing in Widnes?

There are many recorded licenced Conveyancers in Widnes and Solicitor practices in Widnes to choose from We would stress that the two are regulated professionals specialising in the legal aspects of transferring property. They may both also conduct other property legal work such as remortgage conveyancing, lease extensions and transfer of equity conveyancing.

I am the sole recipient of my late grandmother’s estate and I have everything in my name alone, including the my former home in Widnes. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in October. I now wish to sell up. I do know about the CML six month 'rule', which means that my property ownership could be treated the same way as if I'd bought the property in October. Is the property unsalable for six months?

The CML handbook requires conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you might be affected by that. many lenders would take a practical view as this provision is primarily there to capture subsales or the wholesaling and assigning of property.

I am expecting a AIP from Lloyds this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Lloyds recommend any Widnes solicitors on the Lloyds conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

You will need to appoint Widnes solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Lloyds through the process.

Will commercial conveyancing searches reveal proposed roadworks that could affect a commercial property in Widnes?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Widnes will execute a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers spend in looking into accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Widnes. The search result sets out definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Widnes.

For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Widnes it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately could result in delays to Widnes commercial conveyancing transactions as well as present a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not carried out for domestic conveyancing in Widnes.