My partner and I are hoping to purchase a house in Ranmoor and are in fact using a Ranmoor conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our property lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Clydesdale have this evening contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Ranmoor lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?

Where you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' lawyers 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 Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your lender 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 don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Ranmoor lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

I do hope you can assist me. My Ranmoor lawyer is assuring me that he has toapply for Ranmoor conveyancing searches asthe firm are on the HSBCsolicitor panel. Is this really necessary?

You have limited options available to you. Given that you are taking out a loan with a lender your conveyancing practitioner has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your property lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook provisions . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Ranmoor conveyancing searches.

I used Arc property Solicitors a few years ago for my conveyancing in Ranmoor. Now, I need the files but the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down 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 Ranmoor of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I am buying a new build flat in Ranmoor. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build legal work.

Set out below are examples of a few leasehold new build questions that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Ranmoor

Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier? Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision.

I am using a search engine for the words on line conveyancing in Ranmoor it brings up numerous conveyancersin the area. With so much choice what is the best way to find the suitable property lawyer for the sale of my house?

The preferential way of choosing a suitable conveyancer is through a personal referral, so enquire of friends and relatives who have bought a property in Ranmoor or a respected estate agent or mortgage broker. Charges for conveyancing in Ranmoor vary, so it's advisable to request a minimum of three costs illustrations from different conveyancers. Be sure to seek confirmation that the fees are fixed.