My partner and I are looking to acquire a home in Downham Market and are in fact using a Downham Market conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our solicitor has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. The Royal Bank of Scotland have this afternoon contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Downham Market solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. Please explain?

If you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your lender 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 the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Downham Market lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.

I am assisting my niece sell her flat in Downham Market. Does the solicitor arrange an EPC or it is for the seller to coordinate?

After the demise of Home Information Packs, energy performance certificates became a required component of moving property. An EPC should be to hand in advance of the property being put on the market. It is not a task that conveyancers ordinarily organise. Where you are using a Downham Market conveyancing practitioner they may help arrange EPC’s given their contacts with long established local energy assessors

How can we know in advance if a Downham Market conveyancing solicitor on the Clydesdale panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Downham Market seeking recommendations is a good starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always advise that you speak with the lawyer handling your conveyancing.

My partner and I are at the point of viewing flats in Downham Market and I am about to put in an offer. Is it premature to have a solicitor in place? I am planning to take a home loan with Leeds Building Society.

It would be advisable to commence your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the EA. Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Leeds Building Society, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel.

I am looking into buying my first house which is in Downham Market and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Downham Market. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Downham Market area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Downham Market. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

We are 14 days into a leasehold purchase having been referred to a firm by the selling agent to perform conveyancing in Downham Market. I am am extremely dissatisfied with the quality of service. Could you you assist me in finding new lawyers?

A solicitor would have to be very bad in order to consider changing them. Has the loan offer been generated? If so you will need to inform them of the replacement conveyancer and get the loan are re-issued. Your conveyancer needs to be on the lenders approved list to avoid supplemental fees and delays. That should be your starting point. The find a solicitor tool should assist you in finding a bank approved lawyer for your conveyancing in Downham Market

I happen to be an executor of my recently deceased aunt’s Will, with a house in Downham Market which is to be marketed. The property is unregistered at the Land Registry and I'm told that some EAs will insist that it is completed before they will move forward. What's the mechanism for this?

In the circumstances that you have set out it seems sensible to seek to register in the names of the personal representative(s) as named in the probate and in their capacity as PRs. HMLR’s online guidance explains how to register for the first time and what is required re the deeds and forms. You would need to include and official copy of the probate as well and complete the form FR1 to refer to the PRs as the applicant.