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I am regularly completing renewal panel application forms. Trying to meet all their requirements is hard for a small firm. It is very upsetting when you have to explain that a particular lender requires a minimum of 4 partners and we cannot act for a client who wants us to do so.

Further matters are not helped by referral fees being paid by firms. We do not pay them but recently had a request for £100 plus vat from an Estate Agent for what they said was a referral. It turned out they meant to send it to the sellers solicitors and not ourselves. Referral fees should be banned from conveyancing as it is the client who pays in the end higher fees and leads to estate agents saying 'you are better if you use our solicitors'.