I am buying a flat in Broadstairs. My Conveyancer is not listed on the bank conveyancing panel. Am I still permitted to continue with my Broadstairs conveyancing solicitor even though they are not on the bank panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?

Various options include

• Proceed with your preferred Broadstairs property lawyer but your mortgage company will need to appoint a conveyancer on their approved panel. This will result in additional fees and likely delay.
• Choose a fresh property lawyer to conduct the conveyancing, making sure they are on the bank conveyancing panel.
• Convince your lawyer to pull out all the stops to join the bank’s conveyancing panel

We are about to exchange on the purchase of a house in Broadstairs but as a result of wreckage from a small fire at the property I have managed to agree compensation from the vendor in the sum of £2k taking the form of a adjustment in the price. This was going to be addressed as part of a side agreement however Nottingham will not permit this. Why were they approached?

The solicitor that is on a Nottingham conveyancing panel is obliged to disclose to Nottingham of any amendments to the sale price. If you prohibit your property lawyer to report the price change to Nottingham then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Nottingham and you would have to appoint a new conveyancer for your conveyancing in Broadstairs.

The Broadstairs conveyancing lawyers that I appointed last week on my house acquisition in Broadstairs have without warning closed. They were on acting for me because I had to have a firm on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel and my previous Broadstairs lawyer was not. I wrote them a cheque for £250 in advance. What are my options?

If you have an estate agent involved then inform them straight away so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers should be in a position to help.

Will our conveyancer be raising enquiries about flooding during the conveyancing in Broadstairs.

Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers conducting conveyancing in Broadstairs. Some people will purchase a property in Broadstairs, completely aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, aside from the physical damage, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or sell the premises. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.

Lawyers are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a various searches that can be carried out by the purchaser or by their conveyancers which can give them a better appreciation of the risks in Broadstairs. The standard property information forms given to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) incorporates a usual question of the vendor to determine if the premises has historically flooded. If flooding has previously occurred and is not notified by the owner, then a buyer may issue a claim for damages resulting from an inaccurate reply. The buyer’s solicitors may also carry out an environmental report. This will higlight if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional inquiries should be conducted.

I used Arc property Solicitors a few years ago for my conveyancing in Broadstairs. Now, I need the files however the law firm has closed. What do I do?

Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Broadstairs of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.