I plan on purchasing an apartment in Ranmoor. My property lawyer has never been on on the bank approved panel. Can I still use my Ranmoor conveyancing solicitor even though they are not on the bank list of approved lawyers?

You have a couple of options open to you here

• Complete the deal with your existing Ranmoor property lawyer but your mortgage company will no doubt instruct a conveyancing practitioner from their approved list. This will result in additional fees together with likely delay.
• Get a new conveyancing practitioner to conduct the conveyancing, making sure they are on the bank conveyancing panel.
• Appeal to your property lawyer to seek to join the bank panel

Can I use your services to recommend a Conveyancing solicitor in Ranmoor even if I’m not buying or selling a house, for instance if I intend to buy an office in Ranmoor with a mortgage from The Mortgage Works?

Our comparison service is mainly used to find domestic conveyancing solicitors in Ranmoor but we have set out at the bottom of this page some Ranmoor commercial conveyancing firms. You will need to enquire with the solicitors directly to establish if they can also act for The Mortgage Works

We're in Ranmoor, FTBs purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Coventry BS , and our solicitor is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no property lawyer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

We expect to receive a AIP from Santander this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Santander recommend any Ranmoor solicitors on the Santander conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?

You will need to appoint Ranmoor solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Santander conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Santander through the process.

The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Ranmoor. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I would like to complain about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?

Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.

I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in November 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, Nottingham are being pedantic. The Ranmoor solicitor who is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Nottingham are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Nottingham have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Nottingham have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Nottingham 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.

I opted to have a survey carried out on a house in Ranmoor prior to retaining conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. Our surveyor advised that some banks will refuse to grant a mortgage on this type of home.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you contact us we can look into this further with the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Ranmoor. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Ranmoor to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.