I am five weeks into the sale of my home in Mapperley and the estate agent has just telephoned to warn that the purchasers are appointing a new property lawyer. The reason given is that the bank will only engage with property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a major mortgage company only work with specific lawyers rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in Mapperley ?

UK lenders have always had panels of law firms that can represent them, 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 decades.

Banks point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that 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 not going to have any sway in the decision.

We wanted to use a conveyancing solicitor in Mapperley for our house purchase. Our financial adviser has since notified us that our mortgage company Platform Home Loans Ltd won't deal with them. Why is this not regarded as unfair competition?

A bank will insist on a panel solicitor act for it. Borrowers are expected to bear the charges for this. Try using our search facility to choose a solicitor to conduct conveyancing in Mapperley on the Platform Home Loans Ltd conveyancing panel.

Should commercial conveyancing searches reveal planned roadworks that may impact a commercial property in Mapperley?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Mapperley will execute a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers expend in researching accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Mapperley. The report provides definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Mapperley.

For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Mapperley it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately may result in delays to Mapperley commercial conveyancing deals as well as pose a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not carried out for domestic conveyancing in Mapperley.

Do I need to be concerned about brokers that I am dealing with are suggesting an online conveyancing firm rather than a local Mapperley conveyancing firm?

As is the case with many professional services, often input from connections can be extremely useful or valuable. Yet there are many people with a vested interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and lenders might all put forward conveyancers to use. On occasion the lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but sometimes there exists a commercial relationship behind the endorsement. You are free to choose your preferred lawyer. You need to be aware that some banks specify a panel list of lawyers you have to use for the lender related work in your house move.

I am a fortnight into a freehold purchase having been recommend to a firm by the selling agent to execute conveyancing in Mapperley. I am am extremely frustrated with the level of service. Could you you assist me in finding new solicitors?

A solicitor would need to be really poor to suggest replacing them. Has your loan offer been generated? If so you must advise them of the new lawyer and get the offer are re-issued. Your new solicitor ideally needs to be on the mortgage company panel to avoid supplemental charges and complications. That should be your first question of the new solicitors. The search tool can help you find a lender approved lawyer for your home move in Mapperley