We are buying a purpose built flat in Choppington with a homeloan from .We like our Choppington conveyancing practitioner but advised that he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint a panel lawyer or retain our preferred solicitor and fork out for a panel lawyer to act for them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that use our lawyer?

No, not really. The loan issued to you is subject to its terms and conditions, a common one being that conveyancers needs to be on the solicitor panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could find 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

I have justbecome aware that Arc property Solicitors have been shut down. They conducted my conveyancing in Choppington for a purchase of a freehold house 18 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is registered correctly in the name of the previous owner?

The easiest way to see if the premises is in your name, you can carry out 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 Choppington conveyancing specialists.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a quick, no chain conveyancing. Choppington is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Choppington are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Choppington you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Choppington may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.

I have been advised by a few property agents in Choppington to select a solicitor on your site. Is there a financial advantage for Estate Agents to offer your site over alternative conveyancing organisations?

We refuse to give any commission for pointing buyers and sellers to this site. We thought it would be too underhand a fee as members of the public would think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

Why is New Build conveyancing in Choppington more expensive?

Conveyancing in Choppington for recently converted or new build properties can sometimes involve adoption of highways & drains, building regulations approval, planning permission, new build warranties such NHBC as well as supplemental investigations and contractual considerations.