I am five weeks into the sale of my ground floor flat in Clacton On Sea and the estate agent has just text me to advise that the purchasers are switching solicitor. The excuse is that the mortgage company will only work with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a leading lender only deal with specific law firms rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Clacton On Sea ?

Banks have always had panels of law firms that can represent them, but in recent years big names such as Nationwide, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for over 25 years.

Banks attribute this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the reduction – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some 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.

Will lawyers ask for money on account when it comes to conveyancing in Clacton On Sea?

Where you are retaining lawyers for conveyancing in Clacton On Sea your solicitor will ask you place them with funds to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. This will be the total of the cost of the Local Authority Search. If any down payment is payable against the total price then this will be needed shortly before contracts are exchanged. The closing balance that is needed should be sent to your lawyer a few days prior to the day of completion.

We're in Clacton On Sea, 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.

five months have gone by since my purchase conveyancing in Clacton On Sea completed. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the property from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I cannot get to my Clacton On Sea conveyancing solicitors office to sign documents connected to my conveyancing in Clacton On Sea – is this a problem?

Not a problem. Clacton On Sea conveyancing solicitors can undertake conveyancing transactions for clients nationally. It is not necessary for you to be able to be present a Clacton On Sea conveyancers office. Almost all can handle everything remotely from their Clacton On Sea premises.