My fiance and I are hoping to acquire a home in Purley and have appointed a Purley conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our solicitor has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Bank of Scotland have this morning contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Purley conveyancer is not on their conveyancing panel. Please explain?

Where you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is usual for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your lender and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Purley solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.

Can I use your services to find a Conveyancing solicitor in Purley even where I’m not purchasing or selling a house, for example if I intend to acquire an office in Purley with a mortgage from Coventry Building Society?

The service is mainly utilised to locate residential conveyancing solicitors in Purley but we have set out towards the bottom of this page a few Purley commercial conveyancing firms. You should speak with the firm directly to check if they can also act for Coventry Building Society

We wanted to use a property lawyer in Purley for our house move. Our financial adviser informed us that our mortgage lenders Aldermore won't deal with them. Surely this is unduly restrictive?

Before the recession most mortgage companies had an appetite for risk which was higher than today. Almost all Purley conveyancing firms would have been on many mortgage company panels. The Financial Services Authority in 2010 conducted a thematic investigation into mortgage fraud which come to the conclusion: mortgage lenders should know the conveyancing solicitors dealt with. Consequently, mortgage companies are increasingly seeing more information from law firms about their operations and their employees and establishing certain criteria such a completing on a minimum number of transactions. Many Purley 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. Purley is one of the many areas where the solicitors we list are are approved Aldermore.

Just had an offer accepted on a new build apartment in Purley. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Here is a sample of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Purley

The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision. Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. Please provide evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry.

I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing lawyer in Purley for my home move. Is there any facility to review a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?

You can search for presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions arising from investigations commenced on or after 1 January 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For records Pre 2008, or to check a firm's history, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. International callers, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator may monitor call for training purposes.