Can you clarify what the consequences are if my lawyer’s firm is suspended from the Kent Reliance Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Barrow upon Humber?

First, 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.

I acquired my home on 14 March and the transaction details is not yet on the land registry website. Should I be concerned? My conveyancing solicitor in Barrow upon Humber said it should be dealt with in a couple of weeks. Are transfers in Barrow upon Humber particularly slow to register?

There is nothing unique about conveyancing in Barrow upon Humber registration formalities. Rather than based on location, timeframes can adjust subject to who lodges the application, whether there are errors and whether the Land registry need to notify any 3rd parties. At present roughly 80% of such applications are fully addressed within 12 days but some can be subject to extensive delays. Historically registration occurs after the purchaser has moved in to the property thus 'speed' is not typically an essential issue but if it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your conveyancer should communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for the application to be prioritised.

How does conveyancing in Barrow upon Humber differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build property in Barrow upon Humber come to us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is constructed. This is because new home sellers in Barrow upon Humber 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 conveyancers 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 Barrow upon Humber or who has acted in the same development.

Am I right to be suspicious that estate agents that I am dealing with are recommending an online conveyancing firm as opposed to a High Street Barrow upon Humber conveyancing firm?

As is the case with many professional services, often referrals from relatives can be extremely useful or valuable. But there are lots of players in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and banks may recommend lawyers to appoint. Sometimes these conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but occasionally there may be a commercial relationship behind the endorsement. You have the right to select your preferred lawyer. However, bear in mind that many lenders have an approved list of lawyers you must use for the mortgage aspect of your transaction.

One month into a sale of a flat in Barrow upon Humber. Conveyancing is fine but we have been asked to pay a fortune from the managing agents. So far we have paid £268 for a leasehold management information and then another £118 for answers to questions raised by the buyers solicitor.

You will not have any say over the level of the fee for this information but the typical fee for the information for Barrow upon Humber leasehold premises is £380. For Barrow upon Humber conveyancing deals it is customary for the seller to pay for these charges. The landlord or their agents are not duty bound to address these questions although many will agree to do so - albeit often at high prices out of proportion to the work involved. Regretfully there is no law that mandates capped charges for administrative tasks. Nor is there any prescriptive time frame by which they are duty bound to issue the information.