I had intended to instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Limbury for our house move. Our financial adviser informed us that our mortgage company Coventry Building Society won't deal with them. Surely this is unfair competition?

Banks normally restrict either the category or the volume of conveyancing solicitors on their panel. Typical examples of such criteria being that a firm must have two or more partners. As well as restricting the type of firm, a few lenders have decided to limit the number of solicitor practices they use to act for them. Be aware that Coventry Building Society have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Coventry Building Society Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of solicitor panels a few years ago even though there are differing views about the level of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Figures from the Land Registry indicate that plenty of law firms, including some in or near Limbury only perform one or two conveyances a year.

Will my solicitor be making enquiries regarding flooding as part of the conveyancing in Limbury.

Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers specialising in conveyancing in Limbury. There are those who acquire a property in Limbury, fully expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical destruction, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate insurance cover, or sell the property. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Conveyancers are not qualified to give advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous searches that may be carried out by the purchaser or by their solicitors which can give them a better appreciation of the risks in Limbury. The conventional set of information supplied to a purchaser’s solicitor (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) contains a standard question of the seller to discover whether the premises has suffered from flooding. In the event that flooding has previously occurred and is not revealed by the vendor, then a buyer could commence a legal claim for losses as a result of such an inaccurate reply. A buyer’s lawyers may also commission an enviro search. This will higlight if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed investigations should be carried out.

My husband and I are FTB’s - agreed a price, but the selling agent advised that the seller will only issue a contract if we use the agent's preferred solicitors as they need a ‘quick sale’. My instinct tells me that we should use a family solicitor with experience of conveyancing in Limbury

We suspect that the seller is not behind this requirement. Should the owner want ‘a quick sale', turning down a genuine buyer is going to damage their objectives. Try to communicate with the sellers directly and make sure they comprehend that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to go, with finances arranged © you are chain free (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you intend to instruct your own,trusted Limbury conveyancing firm - not the ones that will earn their estate agent a introducer fee or achieve conveyancing thresholds pre-set by corporate headquarters.

What are your top tips when it comes to finding a Limbury conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Limbury conveyancing practice) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you make enquires with several firms including non Limbury conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions might be of use:

Can they put you in touch with clients in Limbury who can give a testimonial? If they are not ALEP accredited then why not?

Limbury Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should consider before buying

This question is important as a) areas can cause problems in the building as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate where services remain unpaid b) if the tenants have a dispute with the running of the building you will need to have all the details Best to be warned whether window replacement or some other major work is due in the foreseeable future to be shared amongst the leaseholders and will dramatically increase the the maintenance costs or necessitate a specific invoice. Please note if it is fewer than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the marketability of the flat. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are willing to lend given the lease term. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely require a lease extension at some point and it is worth finding out what this would cost. For most Limburylease extensions you would need to own the residence for two years before you are entitled to extend the lease.

I have read on a number of consumer advice websites that before choosing a conveyancing solicitors they must be approved by your bank. I am novice purchaser but I have an AIP with Halifax and I already have a bricks and morter conveyancing lawyer in Limbury on standby. Can Virgin Money require an approved solicitor to be instructed? Does a list of approved firms even exist so I can choose a conveyancing lawyer in Limbury?

You should choose a solicitor that is on the Virgin Money panel. Simply ring your preferred Limbury conveyancing solicitor to check if they are on the Virgin Money panel. If they are not approved you have a couple of options open to you here:

• Carry on with your existing Limbury property lawyer but Virgin Money will no doubt appoint a conveyancing practitioner on their conveyancing panel. The net impact is additional cost together with likely frustration.
• Appoint a fresh property lawyer to conduct the conveyancing, not forgetting to check that they are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.
• Appeal to your conveyancing practitioner to seek to join the bank panel.