I'm in the process of transferring my current residential mortgage to a Buy to Let Virgin Money mortgage. The bank has said that I need a conveyancer for this. I got in contact with my former Salisbury conveyancing solicitor who who did the conveyancing when I initially purchased the premises. The fee calculation sent of £470 has shocked me as its a remortgage than a sale or purchase.

The estimate does seem a little on the high side. If you shop around you could reduce the fees slightly by say £100 plus VAT. That being said, if you were pleased with the assistance the firm gave you mightlive to rue choosing an a cheaper lawyer. Remember to check the conveyancer can also act for Virgin Money. You can employ our search tool to locate a Salisbury conveyancing firm on the Virgin Money member panel, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Salisbury.

I am buying a semi-detached house in Salisbury. How practical is it for me to do the conveyancing?

Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing in Salisbury you will have to appoint a solicitor on your mortgage company's conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to be made in you doing conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on your lender panel in Salisbury.

If you had a top tip for choosing a conveyancing solicitor in Salisbury what would it be?

We would encourage you not to base your choice on the cheapest Salisbury conveyancing quote. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

We expect to receive a OIP from Kent Reliance this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Kent Reliance recommend any Salisbury solicitors on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?

You will need to appoint Salisbury solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Kent Reliance through the process.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Salisbury 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 Salisbury 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 Salisbury.

I am purchasing a new build house in Salisbury with a mortgage from Santander. The sellers would not budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The estate agent told me not to tell my conveyancer about the deal as it would put at risk my mortgage with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

In surfing the internet for the phrase on line conveyancing in Salisbury it brings up numerous solicitorsin the vicinity. With so much choice what is the best way to find the suitable conveyancing solicitor for me?

The preferential method of finding a suitable conveyancer is via trusted referral, so seek the opinion of friends and family who have purchased a property in Salisbury or a local estate agent or financial adviser. Costs for conveyancing in Salisbury differ, so it's sensible to request a minimum of three quotes from different property lawyers. Be sure to secure confirmation that the fees are fixed.