I am buying a leasehold flat in Droitwich Spa. My property lawyer has never been on on the lender solicitor panel. Can I still use my Droitwich Spa conveyancing solicitor even though they are not on the bank panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?

You have a number of alternatives open to you here

• Proceed with your existing Droitwich Spa conveyancer but your lender will undoubtedly retain a lawyer on their conveyancing panel. This will result in additional charges together with probable frustration.
• Get a new lawyer to act in the purchase, obviously checking they are on the bank conveyancing panel.
• Convince your solicitor to do everything within their powers to join the mortgage company panel of solicitors

We are soon to complete buying a property in Droitwich Spa but as a result of damage from the recent storms I have was able negotiate compensation from the owner of £2k by way of a deduction in the price. This was going to be addressed as part of the conveyancing process however Co-operative are not allowing this. Why were they approached?

Any solicitor that is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel is duty bound to inform Co-operative of any variations to the sale price. If you were to refuse your property lawyer to report the reduction to Co-operative then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Co-operative and you would have to appoint a new solicitor for your conveyancing in Droitwich Spa.

As someone unfamiliar with conveyancing in Droitwich Spa what’s the number one tip you can give me for the legal transfer of property in Droitwich Spa

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Droitwich Spa or throughout Worcestershire is an adversarial process. In other words, when it comes to conveyancing there exists lots of opportunity for conflict between you and other parties involved in the ownership transfer. For instance, the vendor, estate agent and even potentially your mortgage company. Appointing a law firm for your conveyancing in Droitwich Spa is a critical decision as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE person in the transaction whose role it is to look after your best interests and to protect you.

There is a worrying emergence in the "blame" culture- someone must be blamed for the process being so protracted. You your first instinct should be to trust your conveyancer above all other parties in the conveyancing process.

My lawyer has informed me that lack of right of way insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Droitwich Spa conveyancing?

The appropriate level of lack of right of way indemnity insurance depends on your lender. It would differ for example between Halifax and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. Conveyancing lawyers as opposed to borrowers take out such insurances.

Is it the case that all Droitwich Spa conveyancing solicitors on the Principality conveyancing panel are governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Principality approved list of solicitors they would need to be overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many mortgage companies do list licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

We were going to get a OIP from Nottingham this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Nottingham recommend any Droitwich Spa solicitors on the Nottingham conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?

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

My husband and I are purchasing a 2 bedroom flat in Droitwich Spa. When we first instructed solicitor, they said that they were on all major UK mortgage company panels. Our financial adviser emailed today to say that they don't appear to be on the Kent Reliance approved list. Should that be true, what should we do? Do we simply choose a new property lawyer that is on their panel or do we pay for separate representation, with Kent Reliance appointing their own preferred solicitor.

When buying a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is normal for the buyer’s lawyers to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a lawyer has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the lawyer to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict conditions which the property lawyer has to satisfy. Some mortgage companies now insist their panel firms to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should call Kent Reliance to discover 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 Kent Reliance's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Droitwich Spa lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.