Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Twickenham is not listed on my mortgage company's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of her work?

That would more than likely be a wrong assumption to make. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Where you are concerned you should simply call the Twickenham conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.

We are due to exchange on the purchase of a house in Twickenham but as a result of damage from some water damage at the property I have was able negotiate reparation from the owner in the sum of £3k by way of a deduction in the price. I had intended this to be dealt with as part of a side agreement but Co-operative will not agree to this. Should they have been approached?

Your conveyancing practitioner being on a Co-operative conveyancing panel is duty bound to disclose to Co-operative of any variations to the purchase price. If you prohibit your conveyancing practitioner to notify the price change to Co-operative then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Co-operative and you would have to appoint a new conveyancing practitioner for your conveyancing in Twickenham.

Why is leasehold purchase conveyancing in Twickenham is more expensive?

The conveyancing charges on a leasehold property in Twickenham is frequently greater when contrasted to a freehold property. This is because there is an amount of additional time required in dealing with the freeholder and management company to obtain information concerning whether the rent and service fee have been cleared and whether there are any major works due in the near future on repairs or maintenance of the block.

We are selling our house in Twickenham. Does the conveyancing practitioner need to be on the Barclays conveyancing panel in order to deal with paying off my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Barclays 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 requirements fairly frequently in recent years.

I am short of a 10% deposit on my house purchase in Twickenham , but I still want to go ahead. What can I do?

One option is to try and accept a lower deposit. Most sellers will accept a smaller deposit or even no deposit for a first time buyer or 100% mortgage. Be aware though that if you fail to complete you will still need to hand over a minimum of 10% of the purchase price regardless of how much deposit was agreed.

You can also agree a simultaneous exchange and completion as no deposit is required for this however neither party will be tied in until completion actually takes place and it can be risky if sellers change their mind at the last minute