I am in the process of selling my apartment in Bethnal Green and the estate agent has just telephoned to advise that the buyers are switching property lawyer. The reason given is that the lender will only deal with solicitors on their approved list. Why would a major lender only engage with specific law firms rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Bethnal Green ?

Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms that can act for them, but in recent years big names such as Santander, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for many years.

Banks justify this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to reveal 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 purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.

My partner and I are refinancing our penthouse in Bethnal Green with . We have a son 19 who lives with us. Our solicitor has asked us to disclose anyone over the age of 17 other than ourselves who lives in the flat. Our lawyer has now e-mailed a document for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the flat is forfeited by the lender. I have two concerns (1) Is this form unique to the conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we bought 4 years ago (2) In signing this form is our son in any way compromising his right to inherit the property?

First, rest assured that your conveyancing panel solicitor is doing the right thing as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to . This is solely used to protect if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

About to purchase a new build apartment in Bethnal Green. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.

Set out below are examples of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Bethnal Green

Please supply a car parking plan. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Please confirm the Lease plans are architect prepared. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose?

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Bethnal Green. Before I set the wheels in motion I require certainty as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

If the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in Bethnal Green - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I acquired a basement flat in Bethnal Green, conveyancing formalities finalised 3 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Comparable properties in Bethnal Green with over 90 years remaining are worth £165,000. The ground rent is £45 yearly. The lease finishes on 21st October 50

With 50 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £36,100 and £41,800 plus costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

My partner and I are buying a first floor flat in Bethnal Green. When we first instructed , they assured us that they were on all major UK lender panels. The mortgage broker emailed just now to advise that they don't seem to be on the approved list. Should that be true, what should we do? Do we just pick a different that is on their approved list or do we cover the costs for separate representation, with appointing their own preferred .

When acquiring a property with mortgage finance it is normal for the buyer’s lawyers to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a has to be on that lender's list of approved lawyers. An application has to be made by the to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict conditions which the has to meet. Some building societies now require their panel firms to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your should call and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on 's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Bethnal Green solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.