I am nearing exchange of contracts for my home in Sidcup and the EA has just text me to warn that the purchasers are changing their conveyancer. The reason given is that the mortgage company will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a major lender only deal with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in Sidcup ?

UK lenders have always had an approved set of law firms they are willing to work with, but in recent years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for many years.

Mortgage companies blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms 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. The buyers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

My apartment in Sidcup is up for sale and I have a buyer. Does the lawyer have to be on the HSBC conveyancing panel in order to deal with the discharge of my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the HSBC conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their conditions fairly frequently at the moment.

I used Stirling Law several years ago for my conveyancing in Sidcup. Now, I need my files however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Sidcup of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

How do I search for a Sidcup law firm on the Aldermore conveyancing panel? I have a car and am willing to travel upto 10kilometers to meet the conveyancer.

You can use the tool on this page. Please choose the lender and your location and you will see a number of Sidcup conveyancing lawyers locally. We have listed some Sidcup conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can ring them to see if they are on the Aldermore panel

I need to find a conveyancing solicitor for some conveyancing in Sidcup. I have chance upon a site which looks to be the perfect answer If it is possible to get all this stuff completed via email that would be preferable. Should I be wary? What are the potential pitfalls?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?