Much to our surprise we have been notified by our mortgage adviser that my Stamford lawyer is not on the mortgage company Conveyancing panel. How can I be sure whether this is correct?

The sensible course of action for you to take is to call your Stamford lawyer directly. You lawyer should notify you of the situation. Where they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the conveyancing panel for your mortgage company.

I have been referred to a conveyancing solicitor in Stamford. I need to find out if they are accepted on the Santander approved list of lawyers. Could you assist?

You should e-mail the lawyer and enquire if they are on the lender panel. Alternatively please get in touch with Santander who may be able to confirm.

I am looking for a flat up to £235,500 and identified one close by in Stamford I like with a park and transport links nearby, the downside is that it's only got 51 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Stamford suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease may be an issue. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you can ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.

My husband and I are novice buyers - agreed a price, yet the property agent told us that the vendor will only move forward if we use the agent's chosen conveyancers as they need an ‘expedited deal’. My instinct tells me that we should use a family solicitor used to conveyancing in Stamford

We suspect that the seller is unaware of this demand. If they require ‘a quick sale', alienating a serious buyer is likely to cause more damage than good. Avoid the agents and go straight to the owners and explain that (a)you are motivated buyers (b)you are ready to go, with mortgage lined up © you are unencumbered (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)however you are going to appoint your preferred Stamford conveyancing solicitors - as opposed tothose that will earn the estate agent a referral fee or hit his conveyancing targets demanded by HQ.

I have instructed a Stamford conveyancing solicitor for our home move (FTB’s) and have spotted in the engagement letter that they are not regulated by the FCA. Need I be worried or is that usually the case with solicitor?

We can't see why they should be. Most conveyancing practitioner don't lend money. You should check that they are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, who have specific obligations regulating monies held by them.