After looking at mumsnet.com for a conveyancing solicitor in Duston, many say that I must use a CQS assured solicitor. Can you explain what CQS is?

The Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) provides a kitemark for residential conveyancing practices issued by the Law Society. Membership achievement establishes a level of credibility for member firms with stakeholders (regulators, lenders, insurers and consumers) based upon: * the integrity of the senior responsible officer and other key conveyancing staff * the firm's adherence to good practice management standards * adherence to prudent and efficient conveyancing procedures via the scheme protocol It covers numerous organisations who execute conveyancing in Duston.

We have a mortgage agreed in principle with Aldermore. Duston conveyancing lawyers were instructed. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Aldermore?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Aldermore completed the survey? Have you advised Aldermore as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Leeds Building Society. I assume I don't need a Duston property lawyer on the Leeds Building Society panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your Leeds Building Society mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Leeds Building Society mortgage from the register. Leeds Building Society, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Leeds Building Society has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Leeds Building Society has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I had an offer accepted on an apartment in Duston on 29/10/2024, valuation was booked 2 days after, received a clean bill of health. Property lawyer instructed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to TSB and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the TSB conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?

A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for TSB to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the TSB conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I was advised by a few estate agents in Duston to find a conveyancer using your seach tool. What’s the financial inducement for Estate Agents to recommend your site ahead of another?

We don’t make any referral fee for pointing buyers and sellers our way. We found it would be just too difficult a fee because home movers will think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.

In surfing the web for the words conveyancing in Duston it shows results of many solicitorsin the vicinity. How do I determine which is the suitable solicitor for me?

The best method of finding a suitable conveyancer is via personal recommendation, so enquire of friends and family who have bought a property in Duston or a respected estate agent or financial adviser. Fees for conveyancing in Duston differ, so it's advisable to obtain a minimum of four fee calculations from different conveyancers. Be sure to secure confirmation that the fees are fixed.

To what extent are Duston conveyancing solicitors duty bound by the Law Society to publish clear conveyancing costs?

Inbuilt into the Solicitors Code of Conduct are prescriptive rules and regulations as to how the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) allow solicitors to publicise their fees to clients.The Law Society have a practice note giving advice on how to publicise transparent charges to avoid breaching any such rule. Practice notes are not legal advice issued by the Law Society and is not to be regarded as the only standard of good practice a conveyancing solicitor should adhere to. The Practice Note does, however, constitute the Law Society’s perspective of acceptable practice for publicising conveyancing charges, and accordingly it’s a recommended read for any solicitor or conveyancer in Duston or further afield.