All was ready to complete my purchase in Abbots Bromley next Monday. I have now been asked to send a copy of my building insurance schedule by my solicitor as he says that he has to check this in his capacity as lawyer for the bank. What risks does the bank expect the insurance to cover?

All property lawyers on acting for banks would need to check that the following risks are covered fire; lightning; aircraft; explosion; earthquake; storm; flood; escape of water or oil; riot; malicious damage; theft or attempted theft; falling trees and branches and aerials; subsidence; heave;landslip;collision;accidental damage to underground services;professional fees, demolition and site clearance costs; and public liability to anyone else. There are some other issues such as the level of excess that are set out in a lender’s Part 2 requirements. These obligations are not specific to conveyancing in Abbots Bromley.

Do all mortgage companies provide you with an approved list of Abbots Bromley conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel?

Abbots Bromley conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Leeds Building Society directly.

We previously selected conveyancers located in Abbots Bromley on the Clydesdale solicitor panel. They have just billed me a separate amount for the legal aspects of the Clydesdale mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Clydesdale?

Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your property lawyer can charge a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by Clydesdale but by your Abbots Bromley lawyer. Some firms on the Clydesdale panel will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.

Can I be sure that the Abbots Bromley conveyancing solicitor on the UBS panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Abbots Bromley seeking recommendations is a sensible start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always recommend that you speak with the solicitor handling your conveyancing.

We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from Clydesdale as we want to carry out a loft conversion to our property in Abbots Bromley. Do we need to choose a nearby Abbots Bromley solicitor on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?

Clydesdale don't usually instruct firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel.

I'm buying a new build house in Abbots Bromley with the aid of help to buy. The sellers would not reduce the price so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The sale representative suggested that I not reveal to my lawyer about this side-deal as it will affect my loan with the bank. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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 was advised by two or three local selling agents in Abbots Bromley to choose a conveyancer on your site. What’s the financial inducement for Estate Agents to offer your services over and above alternative conveyancing organisations?

We don’t make any referral fee for directing people in our direction. We found it would be just too difficult a fee as a client could think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.