I am nearing exchange of contracts for my home in Greenhithe and the estate agent has just e-mailed to advise that the purchasers are switching conveyancer. The reason given is that the lender will only deal with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a major lender only deal with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in Greenhithe ?

Banks have always had panels of law firms that can represent them, but in the past few years big names such as HSBC, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for decades.

Lenders attribute this action to a rise in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some 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. The purchasers are unlikely to have any impact on this.

I am need of leasehold conveyancing for an apartment in a fairly new development (6 years built) in Greenhithe. Almost all the flats are already disposed of. Is it really necessary to order neighbourhood searches for my conveyancing in Greenhithe?

If you are purchasing a property with the assistance of a loan, your lender will insist on some (many) of the searches so you'll have no choice. If not, then Greenhithe conveyancing searches are for you to decide upon. No doubt your conveyancer, will ’encourage’, perhaps in the strongest possible terms, that you should not go ahead without searches, but he or she has a professional duty to do this. One thing to bear in mind; if you are likely to sell the house one day, it may be of interest to your future buyer what the searches contain. Sometimes houses with no practical issues can still throw up adverse search results. But if you demand that your lawyer to proceed without searches then your lawyer will have to follow your instructions or you will need to switch to another solicitor for your conveyancing in Greenhithe.

Do I need to pay for insurance to protect me from financial exposure to chancel repairs when purchasing a house in Greenhithe?

Unless a prior acquisition of the house completed post 12 October 2013 you can assume that lawyers carrying out conveyancing in Greenhithe to remain encouraging a chancel search and or chancel repair liability insurance.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Greenhithe I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, however it's only got 52 years on the lease. There is not much else in Greenhithe suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?

Should you require a home loan the shortness of the lease may be an issue. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you could request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.

I am buying a house and cash is in place. My conveyancer has been given with 2 distinct proof of photo identification, bank statement, endless utility bills. Now he needs a copy from a probate lawyer stating that the money is in order and that it has come from inheritance and not selling fake DVD.

In today’s world you will not be able to complete any Greenhithe conveyancing transaction without first providing evidence of your identity to your lawyers. This usually takes the form of a either your passport or driving licence and a utility bill. Remember if you are providing your driving licence as evidence of ID it must be both the paper part and photo card part, one is not acceptable without the other. Establishing of your source of funds is required under Money Laundering Regulations.