My partner and I are hoping to acquire a property in Battle and are in fact using a Battle conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our conveyancer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Barclays Direct have this afternoon contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Battle solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?

When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is usual for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the purchaser's lender. 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 solicitor should contact your bank 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 are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Battle lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

There is lots of information on this site regarding conveyancing in Battle but can you isolate your top tip for finding the right conveyancer in Battle

It would be unwise to be swayed by the cheapest Battle conveyancing fees. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Aldermore, do Battle conveyancers have to pay an annual charge to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are not aware of any mortgage company fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do levy an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Battle. I have a mortgage agreed with Nationwide. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Nationwide, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Nationwide conveyancing panel.

Should commercial conveyancing searches reveal proposed roadworks that could impact a commercial property in Battle?

Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in Battle will execute a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers spend in sourcing accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Battle. The search result provides definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Battle.

For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Battle it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately could result in delays to Battle commercial conveyancing transactions as well as pose a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not conducted for residential conveyancing in Battle.

How do I identify a Battle law firm on the Coventry Building Society conveyancing panel? I drive a motor bike and am willing to travel upto 20miles to meet the conveyancer.

You can use the search on this website. Please pick a lender and your location and you will see a number of Battle conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have detailed some Battle conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can contact them to verify whether they are on the Coventry Building Society member panel

I need to find a conveyancing solicitor for purchase conveyancing in Battle. I happened to land on a web site which looks to be the perfect offering If it is possible to get all the legals done via web that would be ideal. Should I be wary? What are the potential pitfalls?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?