Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Colindale is not listed on my mortgage company's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of the firm’s work?

That is most likely a wrong assumption to make. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should simply call the Colindale conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.

As a FTB what is the most important piece of guidance you can give me about purchase conveyancing in Colindale?

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Colindale and elsewhere in England and Wales is an adversarial process. In other words, when it comes to conveyancing there exists plenty of opportunity for confrontation between you and others involved in the transaction. E.g., the seller, selling agent and sometimes the lender. Appointing a solicitor for your conveyancing in Colindale an important selection as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE party in the process whose responsibility is to act in your legal interests and to keep you safe.

Sometimes a potential adversary may try and sway you that it is in your interests to do things their way. For instance, the estate agent may claim to be helping by claiming that your conveyancer is dragging his heels. Or your mortgage broker may tell you to do something that is contrary to your conveyancers recommendation. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties in the conveyancing process.

we are a couple who are hoping to buy a newly converted flat in Colindale with a homeloan from Halifax.We like our Colindale conveyancing practitioner but Halifax informed us she’s not listed on their "panel". we are left little option but to use a Halifax panel lawyer or retain our high street solicitor and pay for a Halifax panel lawyer to represent them. We feel as though this is unjust; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its various provisions, a common one being that lawyers will be on the Halifax approved list. in the past, most mortgage companies 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. Another option that might be available is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Halifax

I used Action Conveyancing a few years past for my conveyancing in Colindale. Now, I need my documents but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Colindale of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

How does conveyancing in Colindale differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Colindale approach us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is built. This is because developers in Colindale typically purchase 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 Colindale or who has acted in the same development.