Our family solicitor has sent a quote for £1200 for no sale no fee conveyancing in Cotham. I’m selling a Georgian detached home for £150,000. Is this expensive? Is it in excess of the norm for conveyancing in Cotham?

The charges are a tad high. Where you are prepared to invest time scrutinising costs you may be able to decrease the fees slightly by say a hundred pounds. On the other hand, you couldlive to regret opting for an a cheaper conveyancer. Don't forget to ensure that the conveyancer can represent your mortgage company. Do use our comparison tool to choose a Cotham conveyancing practice on the lender’s conveyancing panel which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Cotham.

Please could you recommend a Aldermore sanctioned Cotham conveyancing firm that can complete within two weeks? Would it be better to use a high street Cotham conveyancer or a nationwide comparison site?

We would be happy to suggest some excellent Cotham conveyancing firms. Another option is to visit the main road in Cotham. Visit some well established law practices and ask to speak with a conveyancing solicitor for a costs illustration. Discuss your requirements together with your reasons and ask for a commitment on speed. Appoint the lawyer that you are most comfortable with.

I am purchasing my first flat in Cotham with a mortgage from Birmingham Midshires. The developers would not move on the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The property agent suggested that I not disclose to my conveyancer about the extras as it will adversely affect my loan with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

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.

My father-in-law has suggested that I appoint his lawyers for conveyancing in Cotham. Should I use them?

There are no two ways about it the best way to select a conveyancing practitioner is to have feedback from friends or family who have previously instructed the conveyancer that you are are thinking of instructing.

Our conveyancing solicitor in Cotham has informed me that he requires proof of ID documents asserting that this forms part of his obligations as a conveyancer on the lender Solicitor panel. Am I being spun a yarn?

Due to Money Laundering Regulations your conveyancing lawyer is duty bound to confirm positively your identification when entering into a business relationship with you. It is a criminal offence if your lawyer not do this. If you do not provide ID early in the transaction the solicitor must refuse to act for you. It’s unlikely a lawyer will turn you away if you come to the first meeting without relevant ID but you will have to produce it at some point so you might as well bring it with you to the initial meeting so the lawyer can tick the ID verification box and start sorting out the conveyancing straight away. If you are getting a mortgage, your lawyer also has to check ID documents to satisfy the bank. This is not specific to conveyancing in Cotham