I am 4 weeks into the sale of my home in Wakefield and the estate agent has just text me to say that the buyers are appointing a new property lawyer. The excuse is that the lender will only deal with solicitors on their approved list. On what basis would a big named mortgage company only engage with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Wakefield ?

Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms that can act for them, but in the last few years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 15 years.

Lenders point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to disclose 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. Some 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. Your buyers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.

Can I use your services to locate a Conveyancing solicitor in Wakefield even if I’m not purchasing or disposing of a house, for instance where I intend to acquire a shop in Wakefield with a loan from Chelsea Building Society?

Our search tool is mainly there to get a quote from domestic conveyancing solicitors in Wakefield but we have set out at the bottom of this page a selection of Wakefield commercial conveyancing firms. You should speak with the company directly to establish if they can also act for Chelsea Building Society

Me and my partner are buying a apartment in Wakefield. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a conveyancer? At some point we have to send our life savings into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our deposit?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

Are all Wakefield Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the HSBC conveyancing list of approved practices?

It is true that some lenders now utilise CQS as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to remain on their panels.

I can not fathom if my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called my Wakefield bank branch on a couple of occasions and was reassured it wasn't an issue and they will lend. My Wakefield conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- called and was told they will not lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?

Your lawyer has to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook section two provisions for your lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

I am buying a new build house in Wakefield with a loan from Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. The sellers refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The estate agent suggested that I not inform my conveyancer about this extras as it could affect my loan with the lender. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

How much experience do your Wakefield conveyancing solicitors have with Help To Buy, Shared Equity and similar schemes?

Wakefield conveyancing lawyers help thousands of buyers move home every year and helped plenty of clients through the Help To Buy scheme. The chances are that whatever makes your case unique Wakefield conveyancers have worked on recent similar matters.