My fiance and I are planning to buy a property in Brentwood and are in fact using a Brentwood conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with a view to exchanging next week. Clydesdale have this evening contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Brentwood conveyancer is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?

If you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is standard for the purchasers' lawyers 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 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 don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Brentwood solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.

My aunt passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Brentwood. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £4500. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Leeds Building Society, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?

If you plan to re-mortgage then Leeds Building Society will require that you use a conveyancer on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Leeds Building Society mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

I am aiming to move property in January. Should my conveyancing solicitor communicate with the removal company on the completion day. On a separate note, can you put forward a removal company in Brentwood. Conveyancing solicitor was chosen before I stumbled across your page.

On the afternoon of completion you will need to pick up the keys from the selling agent but this should only be done after the vendors conveyancers inform the agent that they acknowledge receipt of the completion payment and the keys can be collected. Subsequently you will need to tell the removal men that they can start moving you in. As a matter of policy we do not recommend a specific removal company but can assist you in locating a conveyancing in Brentwood or a solicitor with expertise in conveyancing in Brentwood.

Is it the case that all Brentwood CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Skipton conveyancing list of approved solicitors?

A selection of banks and building societies now make use of the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to join their panels.

Is it the case that all Brentwood solicitor firms on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel are governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel they would need to be governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Some mortgage companies do list licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be regulated by the CLC.

I am purchasing a house and the lawyer has mentioned Chancel Repair for which the house could be liable as it falls into the area of such a church. He has suggested insurance. Is this really warranted for conveyancing in Brentwood

Unless a prior acquisition of the premises completed after 12 October 2013 you can assume that conveyancing practitioners delivering conveyancing in Brentwood to continue to propose a a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.

Do I need to attend the offices of the lender conveyancing panel solicitor to execute the mortgage deed? If so, I will choose one who does conveyancing in Brentwood as it will be easier to attend their offices if required.

Whereas this was necessary 12 years ago, most lenders no longer require their conveyancing panel solicitor to witness the borrowers signature. You will still be obliged to provide ID Documents and there are still distinct advantages to using a local solicitor, in your case a conveyancing solicitor in Brentwood.