I plan on purchasing property in London. My Conveyancer has never been on on the lender conveyancing panel. Is it possible for me to retain my London conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the bank approved list?

You must instruct a property lawyer to deal with the formalities if you take out a loan to purchase your home. They will carry out all the essential legal checks on the property, make sure that you will be registered as proprietor and ensure that all the necessary mortgage documentation is dealt with. You may appoint a London property lawyer of your choice. Nevertheless, if the solicitor appointed is not a member of the lender approved list additional charges will be incurred as separate legal representation will be need by the lender. Lender panel applications can be submitted, so where your lawyer has not previously applied for membership they should take the opportunity to apply.

At what point does exchange of contracts happen for residential conveyancing in London and am I required to be at the solicitors branch?

If you are near to our conveyancing solicitors in London you are invited in to sign documents. That being said, the lender approved solicitors we recommend offer countrywide coverage for conveyancing and provide just as comprehensive and professional a job for you when dealing with you by post or email. The signing of the purchase agreement is not the point of no return. Signing on the dotted line simply enables the solicitor to exchange contracts at the suitable time, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The procedure is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where a long "chain" is involved, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in London)to be in the office at the appropriate time.

What is the difference between a licensed conveyancer and conveyancing solicitor in London

There are two types of lawyers who can perform conveyancing in London namely licenced conveyancers or solicitors. Both professionals administer conveyancing services that you need to complete the disposal or acquisition of property. Both are required to handle London conveyancing to the same quality and guidelines so you can be safe in the knowledge that your conveyancing will be properly carried out and that all requisite procedures should be suitably adhered to.

When it comes to lenders such as TSB, do London lawyers face an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are not aware of any bank fees to be on their panel, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

We have agreed to purchase a house in London. An unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. HSBC have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

As you are obtaining a mortgage with HSBC your lawyer must follow the conveyancing requirements set out in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for HSBC. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook stipulates minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to HSBC where a lease does not satisfy these provisions. The specifications relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not isolated to London.

Various web forums that I have come across warn that are a common reason for stalling in London house deals. Is that correct?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the top 10 causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any delay in conveyancing in London.

We are in the process of purchasing a property in London. Conveyancing is not yet done but we wish to have our purchase price private from sites such as Zoopla. Is this achievable and how?

HM Land Registry by statute are obliged to reveal price paid information on the official title for domestic properties nationwide including homes in London. The register of ownership is an open document, so the Land Registry would be breaking the law if they failed to permit access to the register.

You can ask HMLR to withhold the amount paid data but the answer would be a No.