I plan on purchasing a ground floor flat in Cirencester. My lawyer has never been on on the lender conveyancing panel. Am I still permitted to appoint my Cirencester conveyancing solicitor even though they are excluded from the lender panel?

One will need to appoint a lawyer to complete the formalities when you require a mortgage to purchase your property. They will conduct all the relevant due diligence on the property, ensuring that you’re registered as proprietor and ensure that all the required mortgage paperwork is dealt with. One can instruct a Cirencester solicitor of your choice. Nevertheless, if the conveyancer appointed is not a member of the bank conveyancing panel supplemental fees will arise as separate legal representation will be required by them. Lender panel applications may be submitted, so if your lawyer has not in the past sought membership they can do so.

When will exchange of contracts occur in purchase conveyancing in Cirencester and am I required to be at the solicitors office?

Where you are in close proximity to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Cirencester you are invited in to sign documents. However, the lender approved solicitors we recommend provide countrywide coverage for conveyancing and give as equally detailed and professional a job for you when communicating with you by post or email. The signing of the purchase agreement is not the critical part. A signed contract is necessary for the solicitor to address the formalities at the appropriate time, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The procedure is is usually a five minute process, although where a long "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Cirencester)to be in the office at the appropriate time.

We have a mortgage agreed in principle with Bank of Ireland. Cirencester conveyancing lawyers have been selected. How long does it take for Bank of Ireland to send the offer to the solicitor?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Bank of Ireland completed the survey? Have you informed Bank of Ireland as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Nationwide. I assume I don't need a Cirencester property lawyer on the Nationwide panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Nationwide 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 Nationwide mortgage from the register. Nationwide, 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 Nationwide has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Nationwide has instructed the Land Registry to do so

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

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

I'm purchasing my first flat in Cirencester with a loan from Chelsea Building Society. The developers refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The estate agent advised me not inform my solicitor about the side-deal as it may impact my loan with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

Is it best to use a Cirencester conveyancing lawyer based in the area that I am buying? An old friend can perform the conveyancing but her office is 200miles away.

The benefit of a local Cirencester conveyancing firm is that you can drop in to sign documents, present your ID and apply pressure on them if necessary. They will also have local knowledge which is a benefit. However it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If if people you trust used your friend and the majority were impressed that should trump using an unknown Cirencester conveyancing solicitor just because they are Cirencester based.