My fiance and I are intent on acquiring a ground floor flat in Partington. My property lawyer is not listed on the lender conveyancing panel. Can I still continue with my Partington conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the bank panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?

Various options include

• Proceed with your existing Partington conveyancing practitioner but your mortgage company will need to retain a conveyancing practitioner on their conveyancing panel. This will result in additional cost together with likely frustration.
• Get a fresh lawyer to act in the purchase, ensuring that they are on the bank conveyancing panel.
• Convince your solicitor to do everything possible to get accepted on the mortgage company conveyancing panel

We wanted to use a property lawyer in Partington for our home move. Our broker has since advised us that our mortgage company TSB won't deal with them. Surely this is unfair competition?

Before the recession most mortgage companies had an appetite for risk which was higher than today. Almost all Partington conveyancing firms would have been on many mortgage company panels. The financial services regulator in 2010 completed a thematic investigation into mortgage fraud which concluded: mortgage lenders should know the conveyancing solicitors dealt with. Consequently, lenders have regularly sought more data from law firms regarding their operations and the individuals who work for them and establishing certain criteria such a completing on a minimum amount of conveyancing. Many Partington conveyancing firms that have been excluded from lender panels have Unblemished track record, no complaints and no claims and didn't just 'dabble' in conveyancing. Partington is one of the hundreds of locations where the solicitors we recommend are members of the panel for TSB.

I just bought a house at auction in Partington. Conveyancing is necessary. What happens now?

Now that you have exchanged you should choose a conveyancing lawyer soon as you now have a tight deadline in which to complete the transaction. An auction property should have a bespoke legal set of papers. This will include the copy title deeds, local authority and drainage searches. If you have purchased leasehold premises the auction papers should provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing paperwork relating to leasehold premises. You must give this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor at the earliest opportunity. You also need to ensure that you have funds organised to complete the transaction on the set completion date.

We are getting the release of further funds on our mortgage from RBS as we wish to conduct improvements to our property in Partington. Do we need to select a bricks and mortar Partington solicitor on the RBS conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?

RBS would not normally appoint a member of their approved list of lawyers to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the RBS list.

After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Partington. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £175. A couple of days later, the conveyancer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Principality conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Principality panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

How does conveyancing in Partington differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Partington approach us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is finished. This is because developers in Partington tend to buy the land, 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in Partington or who has acted in the same development.

I pay a maintenance fee for my flat in Partington. Due to losing my job and other issues I fell into arrears with payments. I negotiated a payment schedule but there is still in the region of £1750 outstanding at the current time.

I want to sell and I am concerned this could threaten to derail the sale if I have to discharge the amount due first. Do I have to settle before - is this achievable?

Your lawyer should be able to negotiate with the appropriate parties, with a new to seeing if they would accept payment out of the completion monies. This is indicative of why it is advisable to instruct a property lawyer in Partington as they may well have a strong line of communication with the parties.