I am nearing exchange of contracts for my flat in Raynes Park and the EA has just telephoned to warn that the buyers are appointing a new solicitor. The reason given is that the bank will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a major lender only deal with specific law firms rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Raynes Park ?

UK lenders have always had an approved set of law firms that can represent them, but in recent years big names such as HSBC, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for more than 15 years.

Banks blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been tightened 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 being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some 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.

I am buying a property and the solicitor has referenced Chancel Repair to which the property may be obligated to contribute to as it falls into the area of such a church. She has mentioned insurance. Is this strictly warranted for conveyancing in Raynes Park

Unless a previous purchase of the property took place after 12 October 2013 you may take it that lawyers conducting conveyancing in Raynes Park to remain recommending a chancel search and or chancel repair liability insurance.

I moved into my apartment on 6 August and the transaction details is yet to be on the land registry website. Any reason for this? My conveyancing solicitor in Raynes Park advises it would be recorded in less than a month. Are properties in Raynes Park particularly slow to register?

As far as conveyancing in Raynes Park registration is no quicker or slower than the rest of England and Wales. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timescales can vary depending on who lodges the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry need to notify any other parties. At present in the region of 80% of such applications are fully dealt with in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be extensive hold-ups. Historically registration takes place after the buyer is living at the property thus 'speed' is not typically primary concern but where it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your solicitor can contact the land registry and explain the circumstances.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Raynes Park - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing

This question is useful as a) areas could cause problems in the building as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate if repairs remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the managing agents you will need to know about it If a Raynes Park lease has less than eighty years it will affect the value of the property. Check with your lender that they are happy with remaining years on the lease. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and it is worth discovering what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you would be be obliged to have been the owner of the property for a couple of years before you are legally able to exercise a lease extension.

Am in the process of purchasing my first house in Raynes Park. Conveyancing solicitor has been selected. The financial consultant suggested that a survey is not appropriate as the house is just 20 yrs old.

At the very least you should have a Home Buyer's Report. Given the premises is over 10 years old the property will not benefit from a warranty, so you would be well advised not to take a risk. For a property that age with no signs of problems a Home Buyer's report may be enough. The report should highlight any apparent problems and recommend further investigation if appropriate. Where there are any signs of problems get a full structural survey.