I am nearing exchange of contracts for my maisonette in Mousehole and the EA has just text me to warn 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 property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a leading lender only work with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Mousehole ?

Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms that can represent 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 many years.

Lenders blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. 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. Plenty of firms 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. The buyers are unlikely to have any impact on this.

In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Mousehole? What am I being asked for?

To satisfy the Money Laundering Regulations any Mousehole conveyancing firm will require evidence of your identity in all conveyancing matters. This is usually dealt with by provision of a passport and an original bank statement or utility account evidencing your correct address.

Under Money Laundering Regulations, conveyancers are obliged by law to check not only the identity of conveyancing clients but also the source of the money that they receive in respect of any matter. An unwillingness to disclose this may lead to your solicitor ending their retainer with you, as clearly this will cause a conflict between the set Regulations and a refusal to disclose.

Your conveyancers are duty bound to inform the appropriate authorities should they believe that any monies received by them may contravene the Money Laundering Regulations.

Can you clarify what the consequences are if my solicitor is removed from the Kent Reliance Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Mousehole?

The first thing to point out is that, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.

Should commercial conveyancing searches reveal impending roadworks that could affect a commercial property in Mousehole?

Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in Mousehole will execute a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers expend in sourcing accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Mousehole. The search result provides definitive data 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 Mousehole.

For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Mousehole 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 could result in delays to Mousehole commercial conveyancing deals as well as pose a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not conducted for residential conveyancing in Mousehole.

Have completed on a a semi-detached house in Mousehole , how long will it take for the Land Registry to deal with the formalities evidencing my ownership? My Mousehole conveyancing solicitor works at snail pace, so I want to check that my name is registered.

As far as conveyancing in Mousehole registration is no quicker or slower than the rest of the country. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can differ subject to the party submitting the application, whether there are errors and whether the Land registry must send notices to any interested parties. Currently approximately 80% of submission are fully dealt with in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be longer hold-ups. Historically registration takes place after the purchaser has moved in to the premises so an expedited registration is not always an essential issue yet if there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your conveyancer must contact the land registry and explain the circumstances.