We are buying a 1 bedroom apartment in Cricklewood with a mortgage. We would like to retain our Cricklewood lawyer, however the lender advise he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel firms or continue with our Cricklewood property lawyer and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. This seems very unfair; can we not demand that the lender use our Cricklewood conveyancer ?

Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer 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. A further alternative is for your Cricklewood conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

I do hope you can help me. My Cricklewood lawyer is informing me me that she is duty bound toorder Cricklewood conveyancing searches becausethe firm are on the Lloydsapproved lawyer panel. Is my lawyer correct?

Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. Given that you are taking out a loan with a bank your solicitor has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your solicitor would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook specifications . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Cricklewood conveyancing searches.

We previously instructed solicitors based in Cricklewood on the Nationwide solicitor approved list. They are now charging me an additional sum for handling the Nationwide mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Nationwide?

As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your property lawyer is entitled to levy a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Nationwide but by your Cricklewood conveyancing practitioner. Numerous firms on the Nationwide panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

I'm at the point of viewing flats in Cricklewood and I am now considering a potential offer. Should I already have a property lawyer appointed at this stage? I am planning to take a mortgage with Bank of Ireland.

It would be wise to start your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the estate agent. As you are seeking a mortgage with Bank of Ireland, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Cricklewood. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.

Are there any apps to assist me to locate a Cricklewood law firm on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel? I drive a motor bike and am happy to travel upto 20kilometers to meet the lawyer.

Feel free to make use of the facility on this page. Please pick a lender and your location and you will see a number of Cricklewood conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have detailed some Cricklewood conveyancing firms towards the end of this page and you can ring them to verify whether they are on the Virgin Money approved list

My financial adviser has suggested using their solicitor for the conveyancing in Cricklewood - Is it not simpler advisable to just use them?

This is not necessarily the case and you are entitled to instruct whichever lawyer you decide for your Cricklewood home move. The conveyancing practitioner put forward by an estate agent may not always be the right solicitor, they may suggest their own conveyancing firm who are based remotely. In this instance you may not have contact with your property lawyer and due to the lack of continuity in the transaction, it may be difficult to obtain updates.