My fiance and I wish to acquire a newbuild flat in Southbourne with a mortgage from National Westminster Bank.We like our Southbourne conveyancing solicitor but National Westminster Bank informed us his firm is not on their "panel". It seems we are left with little choice but to instruct a National Westminster Bank panel solicitor or keep our high street solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that National Westminster Bank use our lawyer?

Unfortunately,no. The loan issued to you is subject to its various provisions, one of which will be that lawyers needs to be on the National Westminster Bank approved list. in the past, most banks had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could find one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for National Westminster Bank

My wife and I are downsizing from our house in Southbourne and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. Any high street Southbourne lawyer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the purchasers used a national conveyancing practice rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Southbourne. Having lived in Southbourne for 5 years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to get in touch with our local Authority to obtain clarification need.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You must check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same illness)

I am buying my first flat in Southbourne with a mortgage from Yorkshire Building Society. The developers refused to move on the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The estate agent told me not to tell my solicitor about this deal as it will put at risk my mortgage with the lender. Is this normal?.

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.

I am using a search engine for the term cheap conveyancing in Southbourne it reveals numerous conveyancersin the vicinity. How do I determine which is the suitable conveyancing solicitor for my move?

The ideal method of seeking the right conveyancer is through a trusted recommendation, so seek the opinion of colleagues and relatives who have purchased a property in Southbourne or the local estate agent or financial adviser. Costs for conveyancing in Southbourne vary, so it's advisable to secure at least three fee calculations from different companies. Dont forget to clarify that the fees are fixed.

Should I cancel my mortgage payments with Coventry BS as soon as a completion date for my home sale in Southbourne has been set?

No, you should keep meeting any mortgage payments to Coventry BS until the mortgage is redeemed on completion as part of your Southbourne conveyancing.