We are expecting a mortgage offer soon. The bank mentioned the home loan came with free conveyancing. Is the implication that I have to use their panel solicitor as I would prefer to appoint a local conveyancing solicitor in Barnes?

Do check but the the likelihood is that appoint one of their panel conveyancers if you accept the "fee-free" deal. Speak to the mortgage company to determine if they make available a monetary alternative. It is not unheard for a lender to give a £250 cashback as a further option in which case you could put that amount towards your preferred conveyancing solicitor near Barnes.

If you had a top tip for selecting a conveyancing solicitor in Barnes what would it be?

We would encourage you not to go for the lowest Barnes conveyancing fees. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

Do I find a Licenced Conveyancer or Solicitor for conveyancing in Barnes?

There are many recorded licenced Conveyancers in Barnes and Solicitor practices in Barnes who can assist with your conveyancing It is important to make clear that both are supervised by regulatory bodies with both specialising in the legal aspects of the home buying process. They may both also deal with other property legal work such as remortgage conveyancing, lease extensions and transfer of equity conveyancing.

Can you point me to a directory of Nationwide panel solicitors in Barnes on the Building Society Association’s Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such tool on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. Very few mortgage companies make their panel listings viewable over the internet. Where you are looking for a Barnes property lawyer on the Nationwide please make the most of our facility.

I need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor for freehold conveyancing in Barnes. I have land on a web site which appears to be the ideal answer If it is possible to get all the legals completed via email that would be ideal. Do I need to be wary? What should out be looking out for?

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?

I’m about to sell my basement apartment in Barnes. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, but I have just received a half-yearly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is discharge the service charge as normal because all rents and maintenance invoices will be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I am the leaseholder of a ground flat in Barnes. Given that I can not reach agreement with the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the sum payable for the purchase of the freehold?

Absolutely. We can put you in touch with a Barnes conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Barnes residence is 25 Petley Road in February 2010. The Tribunal determined that the price payable for the freehold of the subject premises should be £18,760. This case was in relation to 2 flats. The unexpired term was 156.6 years and 66.6 years.

My fiance and I are buying a 2 bedroom apartmentin Barnes with a residential mortgage from a bank. We would like to retain our conveyancer in Barnes but our lender inform us now that he's not on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to instruct one of the our lender panel firms or keep our Barnes solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that our bank use our Barnes lawyer?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage company home loan offered to you is subject to conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the mortgage company's conveyancing panel. Until recently, most mortgage companies had open panels, including most conveyancing solicitors in Barnes : a mortgagee could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for your bank.