I am one month into the sale of my maisonette in Bruton and the estate agent has just telephoned to say that the purchasers are switching law firm. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only engage with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a leading lender only engage with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Bruton ?

Lenders have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 25 years.

Lenders blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to reveal 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. Your purchasers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

Do the Building Society Association intend to launch a searchable register to to identify solicitors on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel for instance in Bruton?

Lexsure has not been advised of any plans on the part of the BSA to promote such a tool.

I got the keys to my flat on 12 September and the transaction details is not yet registered. Need I be worried? My conveyancing solicitor in Bruton advises it should be registered inside ten days. Are properties in Bruton uniquely lengthy to register?

There is nothing unique when it comes to conveyancing in Bruton registration formalities. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timescales can adjust according to the party submitting the application, whether there are errors and whether the Land registry must send notices to any interested parties. As of today in the region of 80% of such applications are completed in less than three weeks but some can be subject to protracted hold-ups. Registration occurs once the buyer is living at the premises therefore an expedited registration is not usually an essential issue but if it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your conveyancer should speak with the land registry and explain the circumstances.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a property I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a quick, no chain conveyancing. Bruton is the location of the property. Can you offer any advice?

Flying freeholds in Bruton are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Bruton you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Bruton may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.

Am I right to be wary by estate agents that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use a national conveyancing firm rather than a High Street Bruton conveyancing firm?

As is the case with many service providers, often recommendations from relatives can be extremely useful or valuable. But there are many players in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, mortgage brokers and banks might all recommend solicitors to appoint. Sometimes the solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but sometimes there might be a commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You are free to choose your own conveyancer. However, bear in mind that many banks specify a panel list of law firms you must use for the lender aspect of your transaction.