Can you help? My Hunstanton solicitor is advising me that she is duty bound toorder Hunstanton conveyancing searches asthe firm are on the Virgin Moneysolicitor panel. Is this really necessary?

You have limited options available to you. As you are obtaining a mortgage with a mortgage company your solicitor has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your solicitor would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your lender’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook conditions . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Hunstanton conveyancing searches.

Can you explain why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Hunstanton is more expensive?

The conveyancing fees on a leasehold premises in Hunstanton is often higher as compared to a freehold transaction. This is because there is an amount of extra work required in dealing with the freeholder and managing agents to obtain information about whether the rent and service fee have been cleared and whether there are any major works due in the foreseeable future on repairs or maintenance of the block.

We're in Hunstanton, FTBs purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Clydesdale , and our solicitor is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no solicitor 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.

We're new on the property ladder - agreed a price, yet the estate agent told us that the seller will only issue a contract if we use the agent's preferred conveyancers as they need a ‘quick sale’. Our preferred option is to instruct a family conveyancer used to conveyancing in Hunstanton

It is improbable the owners are driving this. Should the seller desire ‘a quick sale', alienating a motivated buyer is likely to cause more damage than good. Bypass the agents and go straight to the sellers and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to go, with mortgage lined up © you are unencumbered (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you are going to appoint your preferred Hunstanton conveyancing firm - rather thanthe ones that will provide the negotiator at the agency a referral fee or hit his conveyancing thresholds demanded by corporate headquarters.

My solicitors in Hunstanton have advised me that they can not locate my conveyancing file. At the time of my purchase I took out a mortgage with the bank. Is it case that being on the mortgage company conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a number of years?

It very much depends from lender to lender but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the mortgage company Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting the bank directly.