I am in the process of selling my maisonette in Loddon and the estate agent has just e-mailed to advise that the buyers are changing their law firm. The reason given is that the lender will only deal with solicitors on their approved list. On what basis would a leading mortgage company only deal with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to appoint to handle their conveyancing in Loddon ?

Lenders have always had panels of law firms that can represent them, but in recent years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for decades.

Lending institutions blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been tightened 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 being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your purchasers are not going to have any impact on this.

At what point does exchange of contracts happen for sale conveyancing in Loddon and do I need to attend the lawyers branch?

If you are near to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Loddon you are invited in to sign contracts. That being said, the lender approved solicitors we work with provide a countrywide conveyancing service and give just as detailed and professional a job for you when dealing with you by post or email. The executing of the purchase agreement is not the important part. Signing on the dotted line simply enables the firm to officially exchange when the time is right, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The procedure is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where a lengthy "chain" is in play, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Loddon)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

I have justbecome aware that Arc property Solicitors have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Loddon for a purchase of a freehold house 9 months ago. How can I establish that my home is in my name in the name of the former proprietor?

The quickest method to check if the property is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Loddon conveyancing specialists.

How can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my commercial premises in Loddon and how can your lawyers assist?

The particular law that you refer to gives a safeguard to business tenants, giving them the right to make a request to court for a continuation of occupancy at the end of the lease term. There are certain specified grounds where a landlord can refuse a lease renewal and the rules are involved. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. Loddon is one of our hundreds of areas of the UK in which the firms we work with have offices

I am using a search engine for the term cheap conveyancing in Loddon it shows results of many conveyancerslocally. With so much choice what is the best way to find the suitable solicitor for my move?

The ideal method of choosing a suitable conveyancer is through a personal referral, so seek the guidance of colleagues and relatives who have bought a property in Loddon or the local estate agent or mortgage broker. Charges for conveyancing in Loddon vary, so it's a good idea to secure at least four costs illustrations from different conveyancers. Be sure to obtain confirmation that the costs are assured not to escalate.