I am in the process of selling my maisonette in Cannington and the EA has just text me to warn that the purchasers are appointing a new solicitor. The reason given is that the bank will only deal with property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a big named lender only engage with specific law firms rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in Cannington ?

UK lenders have always had panels of law firms that can act for them, but in recent years big names such as Santander, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for many years.

Banks point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. Banks tend not to disclose 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. Plenty of firms 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 buyers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

I am acquiring a property mortgage free in Cannington. I have been living for the last 15 years in Cannington. Conveyancing searches are a lot of money. As I have knowledge of the road and vicinity very well should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?

Provided that you do not need a mortgage, then the vast majority of the Cannington conveyancing searches are at your discretion. Your lawyer will try and sway you, no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches completed, but she is duty bound to take that path of encouragement . One thing to consider; if you are intend to sell the house at a future date, it will likely be be of importance to your prospective purchaser what the searches determine. There are plenty of instances where properties with functional issues can still reveal unpredicted search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Cannington will be able to give you some constructive guidance concerning this.

My wife and I have organised the release of further funds on our home loan from Bank of Ireland as we wish to carry out alterations to our house in Cannington. Do we need to choose a nearby Cannington solicitor on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Bank of Ireland don't usually require firms on their conveyancing panel to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Bank of Ireland panel.

We expect to receive a DIP from Virgin Money this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Virgin Money recommend any Cannington solicitors on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

You will need to appoint Cannington solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Virgin Money through the process.

The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Cannington. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?

Most lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.

My colleague suggested that if I am buying in Cannington I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

A search of this type is usually quoted for as part of the standard Cannington conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out significant information about Cannington around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Cannington.

My cousin has suggested that I appoint his conveyancing solicitors in Cannington. Should I use them?

Much as we are happy to recommend a Cannington conveyancing lawyer the best way to choose a conveyancing lawyer is to seek recommendations from friends or relatives who have actually used the conveyancer you're contemplating using.