I am progressing with the sale of my ground floor flat in Burscough and the estate agent has just text me to say that the purchasers are appointing a new property lawyer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the bank will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a leading lender only engage with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Burscough ?

Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms they are content to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for decades.

Mortgage companies attribute this action to a rise in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some 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 buyers are not going to have any impact on this.

What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Burscough? Why is this being asked of me?

In order to comply with Money Laundering Regulations any Burscough conveyancing firm will require proof of identity in all conveyancing transactions. This is usually dealt with by provision of a passport and an original bank statement or utility bill showing where you reside.

In accordance with Money Laundering Regulations, property lawyers are obliged by law to ascertain not only the identity of conveyancing clients but also the origin of the money that they receive in respect of any matter. An unwillingness to disclose this will lead to your lawyer ending their retainer with you, as clearly this will cause a conflict between the set Regulations and a refusal to disclose.

Your property lawyers are duty bound to inform the appropriate authorities should they believe that any amounts received by them may contravene the Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules.

It has been 2 months following my purchase conveyancing in Burscough completed. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the property from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on last month in what should have been a simple, chain free conveyancing. Burscough is where the house is located. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Burscough are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Burscough you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Burscough may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.

Do online conveyancing organisations cover everything a high street Burscough solicitor does or do I still need to employ a solicitor for the final stages for my conveyancing in Burscough?

If you instruct an online conveyancer they should undertake all the tasks your Burscough conveyancer will cover.