I am hoping to receive a mortgage with Lloyds. I hope to instruct a Licensed Conveyancer in Piccadilly. Does the Lloyds Solicitor panel allow for Licensed Conveyancers?

The Lloyds approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, represented by the Council or Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

Me and my fiancee are buying our first home. The lawyer has e-mailedto see if we want to order additional conveyancing searches. Unfortunately we have no idea as to what's recommended for conveyancing in Piccadilly

The extent of Piccadilly conveyancing searches should be dictated entirely on the property, the location, the likelihood of any of these risks, your knowledge of the area and risks, your overall appetite to risk. What matters is that you properly understand what information each search could supply. You may then decide if you consider that you need that search. If in doubt, ask your solicitor to recommend.

My bank has recommended solicitors on their panel based in Piccadilly but I would rather use a conveyancing lawyer in Piccadilly or nearer to where I live. Can you help?

It is by no means the case that all Piccadilly conveyancing practices are on all lender’s conveyancing panel. Please make the most of the above search tool to find a Piccadilly conveyancing solicitor on the on the bank panel.

After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Piccadilly. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their lawyer. I paid an upfront payment of £200. A few days later, the conveyancer called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Yorkshire BS 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 Yorkshire BS 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.

I am selling my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in May 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, Co-operative are being pedantic. The Piccadilly solicitor who is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but Co-operative are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Co-operative have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Co-operative have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Co-operative 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.

Our sealed bid on a house in Piccadilly has been accepted, but there is a chain. The sellers have offered on on an apartment, but it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other properties booked. I have selected a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Piccadilly. What should be my next step? At what stage should I apply for the mortgage with HSBC?

It is usual to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs prematurely (home loan application is approx one thousand pounds, then valuation, Piccadilly conveyancing search fees, etc). First, you must check that your lawyer is on the HSBC approved list. Concerning the subsequent phase this very much dictated by the specifics of your case, attraction to this property and on the state of the market. During a rising market the majority of purchasers would apply for the mortgage with HSBC and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their lawyer to proceed with the conveyancing in Piccadilly.

We are four weeks into a residential purchase having been referred to a firm by the selling agent to perform conveyancing in Piccadilly. I am not happy. Could you you assist me in finding new solicitors?

They would have to be really poor to suggest diss instructing them. Has your mortgage been sent? If so you will need to inform them of the new contact details and get the mortgage documents are re-sent. The solicitor ideally needs to be on the banks panel to avoid added fees and delays. So that should be your starting point. Our search tool can help you find a lender approved conveyancer for your conveyancing in Piccadilly