My husband and I are purchasing a new build duplex in Abingdon and my lawyer is informing me that she has to the mortgage company to disclose incentives from the seller. I am under pressure to exchange and my preference is not to prolong matters. Is my lawyer right?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your solicitor. A precondition to being on a lender panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook specifications. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

Finally the sale completed on my house in Abingdon last April but the buyer keeps SMS messaging me to moan that their lawyer is waiting to hear from mysolicitor. What should my lawyer have done following completion?

Following your house sale your lawyer should deliver the transfer documentation and all of the paperwork to the purchaser's lawyers. If applicable, your lawyer must also evidence that the legal charge in favour of the lender has been paid off to the buyers lawyers. There is unlikely to be post completion procedures peculiar conveyancing in Abingdon.

Please explain the implications if my lawyer’s firm is removed from the Aldermore Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Abingdon?

First, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.

My wife and I are buying a property in Abingdon. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a lawyer? At some point we have to send our life savings into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our money?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Aldermore. I assume I don't need a Abingdon conveyancing practitioner on the Aldermore panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your Aldermore mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Aldermore mortgage from the register. Aldermore, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Aldermore has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Aldermore has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Abingdon off the council. I have a mortgage offer with TSB. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with TSB, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the TSB conveyancing panel.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a quick, no chain conveyancing. Abingdon is where the house is located. Can you offer any assistance?

Flying freeholds in Abingdon are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Abingdon you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Abingdon may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.