I am in the process of selling my house in Wirksworth and the EA has just called to advise that the buyers are appointing a new property lawyer. The excuse is that the bank will only work with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a leading mortgage company only engage with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Wirksworth ?

Lenders have always had panels of law firms that can act for them, but in recent years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for many years.

Banks blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. 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. Your purchasers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

We wanted to use a conveyancing solicitor in Wirksworth for our home move. Our broker has since advised us that our bank won't deal with them. Surely this is unduly restrictive?

Banks tend to restrict either the type or the amount of conveyancing solicitors on their panel. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a law practice must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the profile of firm, a few banks have reduced the number of firms they allow to represent them. Be aware that have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a primary driver in the reduction of solicitor panels since 2008 even though there are mixed opinions concerning the level of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Data from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms, including some in or near Wirksworth only perform very few conveyances a year.

It is not clear whether my mortgage offer requires a lease extension. I have called into my local Wirksworth bank branch on various occasions and was told it does not affect the mortgage offer and they would lend. My Wirksworth conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they refuse to lend in accordance with their specific requirements. Who do I believe?

As long as the is on the lender panel, they must adhere to the CML Handbook requirements for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Wirksworth. My mortgage broker suggested a . I paid an upfront payment of £175. A few days later, the called me to say that they were not on the conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

At last I have had an offer on a flat in Wirksworth accepted, but there is a chain. The vendors have offered on somewhere, but it’s not yet tied up, and are looking at other properties booked. I have instructed a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Wirksworth. What should be my next step? At what stage should I apply for the mortgage with ?

It is normal to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (home loan application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then valuation, Wirksworth conveyancing search fees, etc). The first course of action is to check that your is on the conveyancing panel. Concerning the next stages this very much depends on the specifics of your transaction, desire for this property and on the state of the market. During a rising market some buyers will apply for a home loan with and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their to move forward with searches.

I completed on my house on 8 August and the transaction details is yet to be on the land registry website. Any reason for this? My conveyancing solicitor in Wirksworth expressed confidence that it should be registered inside ten days. Are titles in Wirksworth uniquely lengthy to register?

As far as conveyancing in Wirksworth is concerned, registration is no quicker or slower than anywhere else in England and Wales. Rather than based on location, timescales can differ according to who lodges the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry communicate with any 3rd persons or bodies. At present approximately 80% of such applications are fully addressed within 12 days but some can be subject to protracted hold-ups. Registration is effected after the buyer has moved in to the premises thus an expedited registration is not always primary concern yet where it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your lawyers should communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.

There are a lot of houses in Wirksworth on private lanes. We are purchasing one such property. What would be the advantages and disadvantages of buying a house on a private road?

Wirksworth conveyancing firms are used to transacting houseson unadopted roads. The will review the Land Registry data to find any rights or responsibilities. In many cases there is a residents association that owners make annual payments for the upkeep of the road. If there is one, the road will likely be maintained and look nicer than council maintained.