I am progressing with the sale of my flat in Barkingside and the EA has just telephoned to say that the buyers are swapping law firm. The reason given is that the mortgage company will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a major mortgage company only engage with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Barkingside ?

Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms that can act for them, 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 more than 15 years.

Mortgage companies point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices 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 purchasers are not going to have any impact on this.

I can see plenty of here regarding conveyancing in Barkingside but can you isolate your top tip for finding the right conveyancer in Barkingside

We would encourage you not to base your choice on the lowest Barkingside conveyancing quote. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

Are all Barkingside Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the conveyancing list of approved firms?

Some major banks and building societies now use CQS as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to join their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.

I have paid off my mortgage with . I assume I don't need a Barkingside on the panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the mortgage from the register. , and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I have recentlyfound out that Stirling Law have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Barkingside for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 10 months ago. How can I check that the property is not still registered in the name of the former proprietor?

The easiest method to check if the property is in your name, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Barkingside conveyancing specialists.

I have been sourcing a conveyancing solicitor in Barkingside for my purchase. Is it possible to check a firm’s record with the legal regulator?

One may review presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from investigations from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. For details about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors history, ring 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. International callers, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA sometimes monitor call for training purposes.

I bought a 2 bed flat in Barkingside, conveyancing was carried out 1995. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Comparable properties in Barkingside with over 90 years remaining are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 50

With only 50 years left to run the likely cost is going to span between £36,100 and £41,800 plus legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.