I am selling my house in Hammersmith And Fulham and the estate agent has just telephoned to say that the buyers are changing their conveyancer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the mortgage company will only work with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a big named lender only deal with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in Hammersmith And Fulham ?

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 represented them for over 25 years.

Mortgage companies justify this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms 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. The buyers are not going to have any impact on this.

How up to date is your search tool for Hammersmith And Fulham conveyancing solicitors on the conveyancing panel? Do send you an updated list?

Hammersmith And Fulham conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from directly.

Can you point me to a directory of panel solicitors in Hammersmith And Fulham on the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such facility on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. A small selection of lending institutions make their panel listings open the public on the web. Where you are in need of a Hammersmith And Fulham on the please use our facility.

I am due to exchange contracts on my house. I had a double glazing fitted in February 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, are being a right pain. The Hammersmith And Fulham solicitor who is on the conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

Having digested plenty of house buying guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Hammersmith And Fulham solicitor - who is on the conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Hammersmith And Fulham postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with , you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Hammersmith And Fulham.

I decided to have a survey completed on a house in Hammersmith And Fulham before appointing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. Our surveyor has said that some lenders may not give a mortgage on such a premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to call us we can check via the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Hammersmith And Fulham. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Hammersmith And Fulham to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

The conveyancing solicitors handling our conveyancing in Hammersmith And Fulham has sent documents to review that reveal that the land is unregistered with epitome documents. Is it not the case that all houses in Hammersmith And Fulham are registered?

Although the vast majorities of properties in Hammersmith And Fulham are now registered with HMLR there are still some that remain unregistered. Any property in Hammersmith And Fulham that has been purchased since the late 1980’s will have been registered at the HMLR under the compulsory ‘first registration’ scheme. However, if a Hammersmith And Fulham property has not changed hands in that time then it’s likely the old fashioned title deeds will be the only evidence of ownership.Many Hammersmith And Fulham conveyancing lawyers should be familiar with this type of conveyancing but if any uncertainty reigns the standard guidance presently seems to be for the seller to deal with the registration formalities first and then sell - this no doubt result in a significant delay.