Me and my fiance are hoping to purchase a 3 bedroom flat in Castle Vale with a mortgage. We like our Castle Vale lawyer, but the mortgage company advise he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel solicitors or keep our Castle Vale conveyancer and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. We regard this is inequitable; are we not able to require that the mortgage company use our Castle Vale conveyancer ?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Castle Vale conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

How do I find out if the solicitor conducting my conveyancing in Castle Vale is on the lender’sapproved panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for Lloyds TSB Bank thus paying £175.00 in further legal fees.

Feel free to take advantage of the find a conveyancing panel solicitor tool on this page. Please choose the mortgage company and type ‘Castle Vale’ or your preferred area and you will be presented with a number of lawyer located in Castle Vale or nearest you.

Will my solicitor be raising enquiries concerning flooding as part of the conveyancing in Castle Vale.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for solicitors dealing with homes in Castle Vale. There are those who purchase a house in Castle Vale, completely expectant that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable insurance cover, or dispose of the property. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Conveyancers are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous checks that may be initiated by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which should figure out the risks in Castle Vale. The standard information sent to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) contains a standard inquiry of the seller to find out if the property has historically flooded. If the premises has been flooded in past which is not revealed by the vendor, then a purchaser could bring a claim for damages resulting from an misleading reply. The purchaser’s lawyers may also conduct an enviro search. This should indicate whether there is any known flood risk. If so, more detailed investigations should be initiated.

Just bought a terraced house in Castle Vale , how long should it take for the Land Registry to register my ownership? My Castle Vale conveyancing solicitor works at snail pace, so I want to be sure the registration is dealt with.

There is nothing unique about conveyancing in Castle Vale registration formalities. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can vary depending on the party submitting the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry communicate with any third persons or bodies. Currently in the region of three quarters of submission are completed in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be longer hold-ups. Historically registration occurs once the new owner is living at the premises therefore 'speed' is not usually an essential issue yet where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your lawyers could contact the land registry and explain the circumstances.

My step-father has suggested that I use his lawyers for conveyancing in Castle Vale. Should I use them?

There are no two ways about it the best way to find a conveyancing solicitor is to have guidance from friends or relatives who have previously instructed the solicitor that you are considering.