My partner and I are planning to buy a home in Doncaster and are in fact using a Doncaster conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our solicitor has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Accord Mortgages Ltd have this morning contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Doncaster conveyancer is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?

When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is standard for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Doncaster lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.

What can a local search inform me about the property my wife and I buying in Doncaster?

Doncaster conveyancing often starts with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company for instance Xpress Legal The local search plays a central part in many a Doncaster conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any nasty surprises after you move into your property. The search will reveal information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic sections.

I am purchasing a new build house in Doncaster benefiting from help to buy. The developers refused to move on the amount so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The sale representative told me not inform my lawyer about this deal as it will adversely affect my loan with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

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.

Given that I will soon part with 450k on 3 bedroom house in Doncaster I wish to have a conversation with the conveyancer concerning thehome move in advance of instructing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

Absolutely - we would be pleased to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you liaising with the solicitor due to be conducting your conveyancing in Doncaster.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is an important individual, not a case number. The law firms that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are provided with for residential conveyancing in Doncaster should be the amount on the final invoice that you are charged.

I am using a search engine for the words cheap conveyancing in Doncaster it brings up numerous property lawyersin the vicinity. How do I determine which is the right conveyancer for the sale of my house?

The best method of choosing the right conveyancer is through a trusted recommendation, so ask friends and those you trust who have purchased a property in Doncaster or a local estate agent or financial adviser. Fees for conveyancing in Doncaster vary, so it's a good idea to obtain at least three costs illustrations from varying types of conveyancers. Make sure that you clarify what costs in the quote includes.