I am progressing with the sale of my maisonette in Fishponds and the EA has just e-mailed to say that the purchasers are changing their property lawyer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the bank will only engage with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a big named mortgage company only engage with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in Fishponds ?

Lenders have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in recent years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for more than 15 years.

Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to reveal 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. Plenty of firms 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. The purchasers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

It has been 4 months following my purchase conveyancing in Fishponds took place. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £160,000. 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 asset 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.

How does conveyancing in Fishponds differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Fishponds come to us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is built. This is because developers in Fishponds usually purchase the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Fishponds or who has acted in the same development.

I am selling my property. My past lawyers have shut. It would be helpful to have a recommendation of a conveyancing firm. Im based in Fishponds if that makes things easier.

Please use our search tool to help you choose a solicitor for your conveyancing in Fishponds. We have connected thousands of home buyers and sellers with regulated solicitors to ensure that the legalities of their house move runs smoothly.

As a tenant I am on the hook for a service charge for my appartment in Fishponds. As a result of personal circumstances I fell behind with remittance. The freeholders agreed a clearance schedule but there remains approximately £3000 outstanding at the current time.

I now wish to dispose of the property and I am concerned this could threaten to derail the sale if I have to discharge the arrears first. I'd like to sell up and then pay them back with the completion monies - is this practicable?

You should clarify with the conveyancer conducting your Fishponds conveyancing but it might be possible to arrange for the arrears to be attributed to the purchasers. The contractual price they pay would be reduced to reflect the amount of debt they take on. They could then deal with the outstanding monies once they are the owners.