I am in the throes of switching my existing standard loan to a Buy to Let Barclays mortgage. The bank has said that I must appoint a lawyer for this. I had a chat the same Chard conveyancing firm who acted on my behalf when I first acquired the property. The costs estimate issued of £450 plus VAT is an eye-watering amount to do this as I am not require purchase conveyancing - it’s just a straightforward remortgage.

The charges appear a little high. If you you were to look around you could get the conveyancing a bit cheaper by say a hundred pounds. On the other hand, providing that you were pleased with the legal work the firm offered you maylive to rue opting for an a cheaper solicitor. If is important to check that the solicitor can also act for Barclays . You can make use of our search tool to choose a Chard conveyancing firm on the Barclays conveyancing panel, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Chard.

My Chard lawyer has discovered an inconsistency between the surveyor’s assumptions in the home valuation report and what is in the title deeds. My solicitor says that he is duty bound to check that the lender is OK with this discrepancy and is content to go ahead. Is my conveyancer’s stance legitimate?

Your conveyancing practitioner must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for both parties.

I am the single recipient of my late grandmother’s will with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Chard. The Chard property was put into my name in November. I now wish to sell up. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', meaning my proprietorship could be considered the same way as if I'd bought the property in November. Do I have to wait 6 months to sell?

The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook mandates conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you may be affected by that. How practical a view banks take of it, depend on the bank as this requirement primarily exists to pick up on the purchase and immediately sell or the quick reselling of property.

Are all Chard Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel?

Some major lenders now make use of CQS as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to remain on their panels.

When it comes to lenders such as Santander, do Chard lawyers face an annual charge to be on the conveyancing panel?

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

I have recentlybecome aware that Arc property Solicitors have been shut down. They conducted my conveyancing in Chard for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 10 months ago. How can I be sure that my home is in my name in the name of the previous owner?

The easiest method to see if the property is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Chard conveyancing specialists.

I'm buying my first flat in Chard with a loan from Nottingham Building Society. The developers would not budge the price so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent told me not inform my solicitor about this extras as it may 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.