I am not in a position to travel far from Chichester. I would like to know the reason why all Chichester property lawyers are not on all mortgage company panels?

Even though it may seem unfair for lenders to limit who can represent them, from the public’s or lawyer’s viewpoint, the flip side is that mortgage companies are increasingly anxious and regard it imperative to protect them from mortgage fraud. As a consequence of this concern banks are limiting their panel of approved conveyancing lawyers to a size that they are happy to control.

I had intended to instruct a property lawyer in Chichester for our house purchase. Our financial adviser has since notified us that our mortgage company Aldermore won't deal with them. Surely this is unfair competition?

Mortgage Companies tend to restrict either the category or the volume of conveyancing firms on their panel. A common example of such criteria being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, a few lenders have limited the amount of solicitor practices they use to represent them. You should note that Aldermore have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Aldermore Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a primary driver in the reduction of solicitor panels a few years ago even though there remains mixed views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry indicate that hundreds of law firms, including some in or near Chichester only conduct very few conveyances per annum.

I am intent on selling our property in Chichester and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built land that was not decontaminated. A local lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers are using a national conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Chichester. We have lived in Chichester for many years we know that this is a non issue. Do we get in touch with our local Authority to seek clarification that there is no issue.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same sickness)

How does conveyancing in Chichester differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Chichester approach us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is built. This is because developers in Chichester tend to acquire the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Chichester or who has acted in the same development.

My fiance is buying a ground floor flat in Chichester. He has received an estimate by the conveyancer recommended by the estate agents and it came to £1245 . It was 7 years ago I sold and bought a property and it cost was £500. Have fees really gone up that much?

What does the conveyancing estimate include? Is it just for the legal fees, or what you will be paying in total (for instance Chichester searches, land registry fees, etc)