My husband and I are buying a 1 bedroom apartment in Beaminster with a mortgage. We have a Beaminster conveyancer, however the lender advise he's not on their "panel". It appears that we have little choice but to select one of the mortgage company panel solicitors or continue with our Beaminster conveyancing practitioner and pay for one of their panel firms to represent them. We regard this is unjust; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower 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. Another option that might be available is for your Beaminster conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

Can conveyancing in Beaminster to be done in less than two weeks?

Where you are under pressure for your conveyancing it is highly recommended that your solicitor is familiar with the area as they will make use of local contacts and intelligence. It is even conceivable that they may have transacted previoushouses in the same street. Therefore consider using a Beaminster conveyancing lawyer. In addition, make sure that the conveyancing firm is on the lender panel. It is estimated that nearly one in five of Beaminster conveyancing transactions are frustrated or jeopardised after finding out that a buyer’s conveyancer was not on their mortgage lender’s panel. In many cases this discovery resulted in the conveyancing being delayed by almost three weeks. It is said that this issue impacts in the region of 100,000 home moves every year. Most Beaminster conveyancing firms can not act for certain banks so do check as early as possible.

Can you point me to a directory of Aldermore panel solicitors in Beaminster on the Council of Mortgage Lender’s Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such directory service on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. Very few lenders make their panel listings viewable on the web. If you are looking for a Beaminster solicitor on the Aldermore please use our facility.

We were going to get a DIP from Bank of Ireland this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Bank of Ireland recommend any Beaminster solicitors on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?

You will need to appoint Beaminster solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Bank of Ireland through the process.

HSBC have agreed my home loan in principle, my bid on a apartment in Beaminster has been agreed to, what are the next steps?

The estate agent will need to be advised as to your conveyancing practitioner's details (ensure that the property lawyers are on the bank’s approved list). Telephone HSBC or the financial adviser and complete any appropriate forms. HSBC will sellect a valuer who will get in touch with the selling agent or seller to schedule a time for the valuation to happen. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes about ten days to get a mortgage offer. HSBC will issue the offer to you and your conveyancers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Beaminster.

Should commercial conveyancing searches disclose impending roadworks that could affect a commercial estate in Beaminster?

Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in Beaminster will perform a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers invest in sourcing accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Beaminster. The search result sets out 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 Beaminster.

For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Beaminster it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately may result in delays to Beaminster commercial conveyancing deals as well as present a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not ordered for residential conveyancing in Beaminster.

My nephew is just in the process of moving home, the home loan was agreed last week in principle. One the offer was accepted on apartment we called the mortgage institution to issue the formal offer. We were very surprised to hear that mortgage lenders do not accept all conveyancer, they need to be on their approved list, is this right?

Mortgage Companies tend to imposes restrictions either the type or the number of conveyancing practices on their approved list of lawyers. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that lenders have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any Beaminster conveyancing practitioner on their panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, conveyancing is not their speciality. To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime? Probably not.