I am selling my home in Maxton and the EA has just called to say that the buyers are switching conveyancer. The reason given is that the bank will only deal with solicitors on their approved list. Why would a major lender only engage with specific lawyers rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in Maxton ?

Lenders have always had panels of law firms that can act for them, but in recent years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for decades.

Lenders justify this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are not going to have any impact on this.

We had appointed solicitors locally in Maxton on the Barclays solicitor panel. They are now charging me a supplemental sum for the legal aspects of the Barclays mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Barclays?

As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your solicitor may levy a fee for this. The charge is not set by Barclays but by your Maxton conveyancing practitioner. Plenty of firms on the Barclays panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some firms include it on their overall fee.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Maxton. I have a mortgage agreed with Yorkshire BS. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Yorkshire BS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Maxton conveyancing practitioner having made sure that they are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Yorkshire BS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Yorkshire BS will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Maxton surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our property are lost. The lawyers who conducted the conveyancing in Maxton 4 years ago are no longer around. What do I do?

Gone are the days when you need to have the physical original deeds to establish that you own the land or premises, as the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.

I'm buying a new build house in Maxton with the aid of help to buy. The builders refused to move on the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The house builders rep advised me not to tell my lawyer about the deal as it would adversely affect my loan with the lender. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

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

If you are instructing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Maxton conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggest that you speak with several firms including non Maxton conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions might be useful:

What volume of lease extensions have they carried out in Maxton in the last year? What are the costs for lease extension conveyancing?

Maxton Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

What restrictions exist in the Maxton Lease? It is important to be aware if a new roof is being installed or some other significant cost is coming up to be shared by the leaseholders and could well materially increase the the service fees or necessitate a one off invoice.