Me and my partner are buying a 2 bedroom flat in Deptford with a mortgage. We like our Deptford lawyer, but the lender advise he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel solicitors or keep our Deptford lawyer and pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. We regard this is inequitable; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Deptford conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

My lawyer has informed me that lack of building regulations insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Deptford conveyancing?

The right level of lack of building regulations indemnity insurance should be dictated by who who your lender is. It would differ for example between HSBC Bank and Leeds Building Society. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to borrowers take out such policies.

is it true that all Deptford solicitor practices on the Principality conveyancing panel are overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Principality conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the SRA. Many lenders do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be governed by the CLC.

Lloyds have agreed my home loan in principle, my bid on a property in Deptford has been agreed to, now what?

The property agent will wish to be informed of your conveyancer's details (ensure that the lawyers are on the lender’s panel). Telephone Lloyds or your financial adviser and finish off any relevant forms. Lloyds will instruct a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or seller to schedule a slot for the valuation to take place. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes approximately a fortnight for the mortgage offer to be issued. Lloyds will send the offer to you and your lawyers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Deptford.

I decided to have a survey completed on a house in Deptford ahead of instructing conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. Our surveyor has said that some mortgage companies tend refuse to grant a mortgage on this type of premises.

It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Halifax. If you contact us we can investigate further with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Deptford. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

In searching the world wide web for the words cheap conveyancing in Deptford it shows results of numerous conveyancersin the area. With so much choice what is the best way to find the suitable conveyancer for me?

The ideal way of choosing a suitable conveyancer is through a personal testimonial, so enquire of colleagues and those you trust who have purchased a property in Deptford or a reputable estate agent or mortgage broker. Costs for conveyancing in Deptford vary, so it's advisable to obtain at least four fee estimates from varying types of conveyancers. Dont forget to clarify that the fees are fixed.

My friend mentioned that before selecting a conveyancing solicitors they need approved by your lender. I am novice purchaser but I have an AIP from Santander and I already have a bricks and morter conveyancing solicitor in Deptford at the ready. Can Santander insist on an approved solicitor to be used? Does a directory of approved firms even exist for my conveyancing in Deptford?

You should choose a solicitor that is on the Santander panel. The simplest thing to do is ring your preferred Deptford conveyancing lawyer to check if they are on the Santander panel. If they are not on the panel you have a couple of choices available to you here:

• Complete the purchase with your existing Deptford solicitor but Santander will undoubtedly appoint a lawyer on their approved list. This will result in additional cost together with potential interruption.
• Appoint a new solicitor to act in the purchase, ensuring that they are on the Santander conveyancing panel.
• Convince your lawyer to pull out all the stops to get listed on the Santander conveyancing panel.