I am 4 weeks into the sale of my home in Ditchling and the EA has just text me to warn that the purchasers are switching law firm. The excuse is that the mortgage company will only work with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a big named lender only engage with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in Ditchling ?

Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Nationwide, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for decades.

Lending institutions attribute this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the reduction – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. 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. 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 impact on this.

We're in Ditchling, First time buyers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is UBS , and our solicitor is on the UBS conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the UBS conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancing practitioner should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

I have been advised by my lawyer that restrictive coveneant insurance is necessary on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Ditchling?

The right level of restrictive coveneant indemnity insurance depends on who your lender is. It would differ for example between Lloyds TSB Bank and Leeds Building Society. Conveyancing lawyers as opposed to members of the public take out such insurances.

My partner and I have arranged a further advance on our home loan from Nottingham as we wish to conduct a loft conversion to our property in Ditchling. Are we obliged to appoint a local Ditchling solicitor on the Nottingham conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?

Nottingham don't usually appoint a member of their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Nottingham list.

I have instructed a Ditchling lawyer having checked that they are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Yorkshire BS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Yorkshire BS will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Ditchling surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

I am downsizing from my home. My past conveyancers closed down. I am in need of a recommendation of a conveyancing firm. I happen to live in Ditchling if that makes a difference.

You should use our search tool to help you choose a solicitor for your conveyancing in Ditchling. We have connected thousands of home buyers and sellers with lender approved solicitors to ensure that the legalities of their house move goes with a minimum of fuss.

New build sellers have recommended to me a lawyer and I've obtained a quote from them. They are nearly £400 less expensive than my own Ditchling solicitor. What's the catch?

Housebuilders frequently have panels of conveyancing practitioners who are quick and who know the developer’s contract and conveyancer. Plenty of developers offer an inducement to use their approved lawyer for this reason, any increased charges can be avoided and a developer won't recommend a conveyancing factory and run the risk of having the transaction delayed when they need an exchange in 28 days. A counter-argument for not agreeing to use the recommended conveyancing practitioner is that they may prove unwilling to fight for your interests at the risk of alienating the sellers. Where you have concerns that this may be the situation you should keep with your local Ditchling conveyancer.