I was recommended to a lawyer who has quoted £1200 for fixed fee conveyancing in Berkshire. I am selling a Victorian property for £275,000. This sounds overpriced. Is it in excess of the average fee for conveyancing in Berkshire?

The quote is fractionally on the high side. If you shop around you may be able to trim some of the cost by say £125. That being said, you mightcome to rue opting for an an unknown conveyancer. Don't forget to ensure that the conveyancer can also act for your lender. Do make use of our search tool to find a Berkshire conveyancing company on the banks approved list of lawyers which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Berkshire.

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Bank of Ireland, do Berkshire property lawyers face a yearly amount to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are not aware of any lender fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

I was told two weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by UBS. Is it usual for UBS to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Berkshire is approved on their conveyancing panel? UBS have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance Schedule.

A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for UBS to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the UBS conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

My offer on a semi in Berkshire has been agreed to, the vendors do nevertheless have a connected purchase. The vendors have offered on a property, however it’s not been accepted yet, and are looking at other properties booked. I have instructed a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Berkshire. What should be my next step? At what point should I apply for the mortgage with Co-operative?

It is usual to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses too early (mortgage application is approx £1k, then survey, Berkshire conveyancing search fees, etc). First, you must ensure that your conveyancer is on the Co-operative approved list. Regarding the subsequent steps this very much depends on the specifics of your transaction, attraction to this property and on the state of the market. In a hot market the majority of purchasers will apply for the mortgage with Co-operative and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they ask their conveyancer to proceed with searches.

I used Wolstenholmes a few years ago for my conveyancing in Berkshire. Now, I need the files but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Berkshire of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I am purchasing my first flat in Berkshire with a mortgage from TSB. The sellers refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The sale representative told me not disclose to my solicitor about the deal as it could jeopardize my loan with the bank. 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.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I put an offer in last month in what was supposed to be a simple, no chain conveyancing. Berkshire is the location of the property. Is there any advice you can impart?

Flying freeholds in Berkshire are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Berkshire you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Berkshire 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.