I am selling my house in Ponteland and the estate agent has just telephoned to warn that the purchasers are appointing a new law firm. The reason given is that the lender will only engage with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a leading lender only engage with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Ponteland ?

UK lenders have always had panels of law firms that can act for them, but in recent 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 many years.

Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the cull – 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 hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms are unaware that 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.

My aunt advised me that in purchasing a property in Ponteland there could be various restrictions prohibiting external alterations to the property. Is this right?

There are a number of properties in Ponteland which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Ponteland should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

I am planning to move home in January. Should my conveyancing solicitor call the removal company on the completion day. On a separate note, can you recommend a removal company in Ponteland. Conveyancing solicitor was chosen before I stumbled across your website.

On the afternoon of completion you can collect the keys from your estate agent however this should only take place once the sellers solicitors inform the agent that they have the completion monies and the keys can be given over. You can advise the removal men that they can start moving you in. As a matter of policy we do not suggest a particular removal company but can help you choose a residential property solicitor in Ponteland or a legal practice with expertise in conveyancing in Ponteland.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Ponteland off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Lloyds. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Lloyds, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Lloyds conveyancing panel.

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build flat in Ponteland. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build conveyancing.

Here are examples of a few leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Ponteland

The Vendor must covenant to keep unsold units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier?

I have been recommended by a couple of local estate agents in Ponteland to select a solicitor using your seach tool. Is there a financial advantage for Estate Agents to offer your lawyers over and above alternative conveyancing organisations?

We don’t offer any commission for sending work in our direction. We found it would be just too difficult to pay a commission because home movers will think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.

My husband and I are new on the property ladder - had an offer accepted, but the selling agent informed us that the seller will only move forward if we instruct their preferred lawyers as they want a ‘quick sale’. We would rather use a family solicitor with experience of conveyancing in Ponteland

We suspect that the seller is not behind this requirement. Should the vendor desire ‘a quick sale', turning down a genuine purchaser is not the way to achieve this. Bypass the agents and go straight to the owners and make sure they comprehend that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you do not need to sell (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)however you will continue to instruct your preferred Ponteland conveyancing firm - not the ones that will earn their estate agent a kickback or achieve conveyancing thresholds demanded by corporate headquarters.