I am in the process of selling my house in Walkington and the estate agent has just text me to advise that the purchasers are changing their conveyancer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the bank will only work with solicitors on their approved list. Why would a leading mortgage company only work with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Walkington ?

UK lenders have always had panels of law firms they are content to work with, but in recent years big names such as Nationwide, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for over 25 years.

Banks blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices 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. The purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.

My wife and I are in the process of viewing houses in Walkington and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it too early to have a solicitor in place? I intend to finance via a home loan with HSBC.

You should start requesting conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the estate agent. As you are taking out a mortgage with HSBC, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the HSBC conveyancing panel.

After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Walkington. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £200. A few days later, the solicitor contacted me to say that they were not on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Yorkshire BS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Walkington conveyancer having checked that they are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Aldermore will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Aldermore will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your property lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Walkington postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Aldermore, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Walkington.

Will commercial conveyancing searches reveal proposed roadworks that could affect a commercial premises in Walkington?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Walkington will carry out a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers invest in investigating accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Walkington. The report provides definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Walkington.

For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Walkington it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately can result in delays to Walkington commercial conveyancing transactions as well as pose a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not ordered for residential conveyancing in Walkington.

I decided to have a survey completed on a house in Walkington before appointing lawyers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the property. The surveyor has said that some mortgage companies tend not issue a mortgage on a flying freehold home.

It varies from the lender to lender. HSBC has different instructions for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can check via the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Walkington. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

What are the distinct benefits to choosing a high street property lawyer in Walkington

Lots of house movers in Walkington opt for a local conveyancing practitioner so that they can pop into the firm’s offices in the event that they have problems, and to sign mortgage deeds without using the post.

There is a distinct benefit in selecting a conveyancer local to the premises you are purchasing, due to the in-depth knowledge of the region and possible local issues - nevertheless this is moot. Many conveyancers carry out their work via the internet and could be practically anywhere.