I am progressing with the sale of my house in Aylsham and the EA has just e-mailed to advise that the buyers are appointing a new law firm. I am told that this is due to the fact that the mortgage company will only deal with property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a major mortgage company only deal with specific lawyers rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in Aylsham ?

Lenders have always had an approved set of law firms that can act for them, but in recent years big names such as Nationwide, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for many years.

Lending institutions blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that 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. The buyers are unlikely to have any impact on this.

We're in Aylsham, First time buyers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is , and our solicitor is on the conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

I am assisting my mother sell her flat in Aylsham. Will the solicitor commission an EPC or do I organise this?

After the abolition of HIPs, EPC’s became a compulsory component of moving house. An energy assessment needs to be to hand prior to the property being marketed. This is not a task that conveyancers normally organise. Where you are instructing a Aylsham conveyancing lawyer they may help arrange energy assessments given their contacts with long established local assessors

Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unexperienced as FTB of a ground floor flat in Aylsham. Do I pick up the keys to the house on the completion date from my lawyer? If so, I will appoint a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Aylsham?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will transfer the completion advance to the vendor’s conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be able to receive the keys from the Estate Agents and move into your new home. This tends to happen early afternoon.

I happen to be the sole beneficiary of my late father’s will and I have everything in my name now, including the house in Aylsham. The Aylsham property was put into my name in . I now wish to sell up. I do know about the CML six month 'rule', which means that my proprietorship will be regarded the same way as though I had purchased the house in . Will no one buy the property for half a year?

The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook instructs conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you could be caught by that. many mortgage companies would take a practical view as this obligation principally exists to pick up on the purchase and immediately sell or the wholesaling and assigning of properties.

What does a local search inform me about the property we're purchasing in Aylsham?

Aylsham conveyancing often commences with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search organisations for example Onsearch The local search is essential in every Aylsham conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any nasty surprises after you move into your new home. The search should provide data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 topic sections.

The deeds to our home can not be found. The conveyancers who conducted the conveyancing in Aylsham 10 years ago are no longer around. What are my next steps?

These day there are copies made of almost everything, and your conveyancer should know precisely where to find all the appropriate paperwork so you may purchase or sell your property without any difficulty. If duplicates are not available, your conveyancer may be able to arrange cover in the form of insurance or indemnities against possible claims on the property.