My partner and I are hoping to buy a home in Newburn and are in fact using a Newburn conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our conveyancer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with a view to exchanging next week. Bank of Ireland have this morning contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Newburn solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?

When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your lender and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Newburn solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.

Can you point me to a directory of Barclays panel solicitors in Newburn on the Council of Mortgage Lender’s Website?

No. There is no such facility on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. A small selection of lenders make their panel listings visible over the internet. Where you are in need of a Newburn property lawyer on the Barclays please make the most of our tool.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Newburn off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Co-operative. 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 Co-operative, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Co-operative conveyancing panel.

I am selling my house. I had a double glazing fitted in January 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, Coventry BS are being a right pain. The Newburn solicitor who is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Coventry BS are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Coventry BS have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Coventry BS have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Coventry BS may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Newburn?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Newburn. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

Due to the guidance of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Newburn before appointing solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the house. My surveyor advised that some banks will refuse to issue a mortgage on this type of house.

It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different instructions from Halifax. Should you wish to telephone us we can check via the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Newburn. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Newburn especially if they regularly deal with such properties in Newburn.

My cousin is buying a ground floor flat in Newburn. He has received an estimate by the solicitor recommended by the estate agents totaling £1385 . It was ten years ago I sold and bought a home and the fee was £500. Have costs really gone up that much?

You should contact 3 or 4 local Newburn conveyancing solicitors seeking estimates. You should base your decision not solely on cost, but on promptness and on how comprehensive the response is.