My partner and I are hoping to buy a house in Kings Lynn and have appointed a Kings Lynn conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our conveyancer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Barnsley Building Society have this morning contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Kings Lynn solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?

Where you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is usual for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Kings Lynn lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

I had intended to instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Kings Lynn for our home move. Our broker has since advised us that our bank Lloyds TSB Bank won't deal with them. Why is this not regarded as unduly restrictive?

Before the recession most banks had an appetite for risk which was higher than today. Almost all Kings Lynn conveyancing firms would have been on many mortgage company panels. The financial services regulator in 2010 carried out a thematic investigation into mortgage fraud which concluded: know the conveyancing solicitors dealt with. Consequently, lenders are increasingly seeing more information from law firms concerning their operations and their employees as well as establishing certain criteria such a completing on a minimum volume of transactions. Many Kings Lynn conveyancing firms that have been excluded from lender panels have a 100% healthy track record, no complaints and no claims and didn't just 'dabble' in conveyancing. Kings Lynn is amongst the many locations where the solicitors showing on our search results are are authorised to act for Lloyds TSB Bank.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Principality. I assume I don't need a Kings Lynn conveyancer on the Principality panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Principality mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Principality mortgage from the register. Principality, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Principality has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Principality has instructed the Land Registry to do so

The mortgage over my property is with Principality for my property in Kings Lynn. Conveyancing was finalised 12 months ago. In the event that I decide to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Principality?

Your original mortgage agreement with Principality will provide that you need their approval prior to letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Principality’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Principality will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Principality directly. You need not do this via a Principality conveyancing panel solicitor.

I have instructed a Kings Lynn solicitor having made sure that they are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Co-operative will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Co-operative will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your solicitor will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Kings Lynn postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Co-operative, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Kings Lynn.

Various online forums that I have come across warn that are the main reason for obstruction in Kings Lynn house deals. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released conclusions of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature within the common causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any slowing down conveyancing in Kings Lynn.

I am buying a new build flat in Kings Lynn. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build conveyancing.

Here is a sample of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Kings Lynn

Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. The Vendor must covenant to keep unsold units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision.