I am five weeks into the sale of my flat in Faringdon and the EA has just called to advise that the buyers are changing their solicitor. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only work with property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a major mortgage company only work with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in Faringdon ?

UK lenders have always had an approved set of law firms that can act for them, but in the past few years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for more than 25 years.

Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.

After reading mumsnet.com for an affordable lawyer in Faringdon, many post that I should instruct a CQS kitemarked lawyer. Can you explain what CQS is?

The Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme is the recognised kitemark for legal experts in buying or selling property, trusted by some of the UK's biggest mortgage companies. Four years ago the Conveyancing Quality Scheme was officially recognised by the Building Societies Association (BSA). CQS is not a scheme offered by the Society for Licensed Conveyancers. Faringdon is one of the numerous areas in England and Wales where there are CQS solicitors.

We are purchasing a property and the solicitor has mentioned Chancel Repair to which the house may be obligated to pay given it’s proximity to the area of such a church. He has suggested insurance. Is this really necessary for conveyancing in Faringdon

Unless a prior acquisition of the house took place after 12 October 2013 you may take it that conveyancing practitioners delivering conveyancing in Faringdon to remain encouraging a chancel search and or chancel repair liability insurance.

I got the keys to my home on 6 June and my personal details are still not registered. Should I be concerned? My conveyancing solicitor in Faringdon said it would be registered inside ten days. Are properties in Faringdon particularly slow to register?

As far as conveyancing in Faringdon is concerned, registration is no faster or slower than the rest of England and Wales. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can vary according to who lodges the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry have to notify any 3rd parties. Currently approximately 80% of such applications are fully addressed in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be longer delays. Historically registration takes place after the new owner is living at the property thus registration formalities is not usually top priority yet where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your conveyancer could communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for the application to be prioritised.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £235,500 and identified one near me in Faringdon I like with amenity areas and railway links in the vicinity, however it only has 61 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Faringdon for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?

Should you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will be an issue. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this matter.