My wife and I intend to remortgage our penthouse in Dorchester with Coventry BS. We have a son approaching twenty who lives at home. Our solicitor requested us to identify any adults other than ourselves who reside at the property. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the property is forfeited by the lender. I have two concerns (1) Is this document specific to the Coventry BS conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we bought 4 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this giving up his entitlement to inherit the property?

On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Coventry BS. This is solely used to protect Coventry BS if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Coventry BS had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

What is the first thing I need to know regarding purchase conveyancing in Dorchester?

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Dorchester and elsewhere in Dorset is often a confrontational process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there exists plenty of opportunity for conflict between you and others involved in the legal transfer of property. For example, the vendor, selling agent and sometimes a mortgage company. Selecting a law firm for your conveyancing in Dorchester should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE party in the process whose responsibility is to act in your best interests and to protect you.

Every so often a third party with a vested interest may attempt to convince you that you should follow their advice. For example, the selling agent may claim to be helping by claiming that your lawyer is wrong. Or your financial adviser may advise you to do take action that is against your conveyancers recommendation. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties when it comes to the legal transfer of property.

It has been four months since my purchase conveyancing in Dorchester concluded. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

My cousin has recommend that I use his conveyancers in Dorchester. Should I use them?

There are no two ways about it the ideal way to choose a conveyancing solicitor is to have recommendations from friends or family who have actually previously instructed the conveyancer you're considering.

I have noted on various online forums that when choosing a conveyancing solicitors they need approved by your bank. It happens to be my first home move but I have an AIP from Virgin Money and I already have a bricks and morter conveyancing solicitor in Dorchester in place. Will Virgin Money insist on an approved conveyancer to be used? If so, where can I find that list for my conveyancing in Dorchester?

You should choose a solicitor that is on the Virgin Money panel. The first thing to do is ring your chosen Dorchester conveyancing lawyer and ask if they are on the Virgin Money panel. If they are not approved you have a couple of choices available to you here:

• Carry on with your existing Dorchester property lawyer but Virgin Money will no doubt appoint a conveyancer from their conveyancing panel. This will result in additional charges together with likely frustration.
• Choose a new property lawyer to conduct the conveyancing, ensuring that they are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.
• Appeal to your conveyancing practitioner to apply to join the bank panel.