I am progressing with the sale of my apartment in West Heath and the EA has just e-mailed to say that the buyers are changing their property lawyer. The excuse is that the lender will only deal with property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a major lender only work with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in West Heath ?

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

Mortgage companies point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the reduction – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. Banks tend not to reveal 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 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 impact on this.

Can you point me to a directory of HSBC panel conveyancers in West Heath on the Council of Mortgage Lender’s Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such tool on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. Very few lenders make their panel listings viewable over the internet. If you are looking for a West Heath solicitor on the HSBC please use our facility.

The mortgage over my property is with UBS for my property in West Heath. Conveyancing has been completed some time ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform UBS?

You must advise UBS in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of UBS’s mortgage conditions. It may be that UBS will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact UBS directly. You need not do this via a UBS conveyancing panel lawyer.

Having digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local West Heath solicitor - who is on the Santander conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

Santander will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Santander 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. You may wish to consider appointing your own West Heath surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

I have recentlyfound out that Stirling Law have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in West Heath for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 12 months ago. How can I check that my home is not still registered in the name of the previous owner?

The easiest way to check if the property is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of West Heath conveyancing specialists.

My company is planning to lease a unit on a shopping parade. Can you recommend solicitors offering fixed fees for commercial conveyancing in West Heath for below £2000?

We can recommend firms who have an in-depth of experience of commercial conveyancing in West Heath, including the sale and purchase of businesses as well as simply property. Whether you are intending to buy or sell a shop, pub, restaurant, office, retail premises or a whole business we can put you in touch with the right lawyer. As for the charges this will depend on the structure and terms of the proposed transaction. Let us have your contact information or call us so that we may furnish you with a detailed commercial conveyancing quote.

I am using a search engine for the term cheap conveyancing in West Heath it shows results of many conveyancerslocally. How do I determine which is the right solicitor for my move?

The ideal method of choosing a suitable conveyancer is via trusted testimonial, so seek the opinion of friends and family who have bought a property in West Heath or a respected estate agent or financial adviser. Charges for conveyancing in West Heath vary, so it's sensible to secure a minimum of three fee estimates from varying types of solicitors. Make sure that you know that the fees are fixed.