I plan on purchasing property in Milton Keynes Village. My lawyer has never been on on the lender conveyancing list. Is it possible for me to appoint my Milton Keynes Village conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the mortgage company list of approved lawyers?

Your options include

• Carry on with your preferred Milton Keynes Village lawyer but your lender will need to retain a conveyancer from their approved panel. The net result is additional fees together with likely interruption.
• Choose a fresh property lawyer to conduct the conveyancing, making sure they are on the lender conveyancing panel.
• Convince your conveyancer to do everything possible to get listed on the mortgage company panel of solicitors

All was ready to move into my new home in Milton Keynes Village next Monday. I have now been asked to send a copy of my building insurance schedule by my solicitor as as she informs me that she is duty bound to validate that it is in order for the mortgage company. What does the insurance need to cover?

Any lawyer on acting for lenders would need to check that the following risks are covered fire; lightning; aircraft; explosion; earthquake; storm; flood; escape of water or oil; riot; malicious damage; theft or attempted theft; falling trees and branches and aerials; subsidence; heave;landslip;collision;accidental damage to underground services;professional fees, demolition and site clearance costs; and public liability to anyone else. There are some other issues such as the level of excess that are set out in a lender’s Part 2 conditions. These obligations are not unique to conveyancing in Milton Keynes Village.

My wife and I are buying a apartment in Milton Keynes Village. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a solicitor? On completion day we will need to send funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our deposit?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

I am helping my aunt sell her property in Milton Keynes Village. Will the conveyancer commission an energy performance certificate or it is for the owner to coordinate?

Following the abolition of Home Information Packs, energy performance certificates was left as a mandatory element of moving property. An EPC should be to hand prior to the property being placed on the market. This is not as aspect of the sale process that law firms ordinarily arrange. Where you are instructing a Milton Keynes Village conveyancing solicitor they might be able to arrange energy performance certificates due to their contacts with long established local assessors

When it comes to lenders such as Lloyds, do Milton Keynes Village lawyers have to pay an annual charge to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are unaware of any bank fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

Various web forums that I have visited warn that are the number one reason for hinderance in Milton Keynes Village house deals. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the most frequent causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Local searches are not likely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in Milton Keynes Village.

My step-son is about to join the property ladder, he had his mortgage in principle. One the seller agreed the offer on the apartment we rang the mortgage institution to progress the mortgage application. I was very surprised to learn that mortgage lenders do not accept all conveyancing practitioner, they need to be on their approved list, is this legal?

Mortgage Companies ordinarily imposes restrictions either the type or the number of conveyancing solicitors on their approved list of lawyers. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that lenders have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any Milton Keynes Village property lawyer on their panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, conveyancing is not their speciality. To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime? Unlikely.