I was advised recently by my mortgage adviser that my Exminster lawyer is not on the mortgage company Conveyancing panel. What can I do to be sure if this is correct?

You need to contact your Exminster lawyer directly. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to notify you what has happened. If they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the approved list of lawyers for your lender.

My fiancee and I are buying our first home. Our conveyancer has texted usto enquire if we would like to take out additional conveyancing searches. We are really unsure what's appropriate for conveyancing in Exminster

The extent of Exminster conveyancing searches should be dictated primarily on the premises, the location, the possibility of any of these risks, your familiarity of the area and risks, your general attitude to risk. What is important is that you properly comprehend what information the searches could provide. Then you can decide if you personally think you need that information. Where you are unclear, ask your conveyancer to guide you.

When it comes to lenders such as Barclays, do Exminster solicitors face an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?

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

We previously appointed conveyancing lawyers located in Exminster on the RBS solicitor panel. They have just billed me a further fee for the legal aspects of the RBS mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by RBS?

Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your solicitor is entitled to charge a fee for this. This charge is not set by RBS but by your Exminster property lawyer. Numerous firms on the RBS panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some firms include it on their overall fee.

I have instructed a Exminster lawyer having checked that they are on the HSBC conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

HSBC will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually HSBC will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Exminster surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

What does a local search inform me about the property I am purchasing in Exminster?

Exminster conveyancing often commences with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search organisations for instance Searches UK The local search is essential in every Exminster conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any unpleasant once you have moved into your property. The search will supply data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the premises (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 areas.

I'm remortgaging my existing home to a buy to let mortgage with Accord Mortgages Ltd and intend to use the remaining equity towards another house. The location we are looking at is Exminster. Will your lawyers be able to act for both sets of lenders and link together the transactions?

Make use of our search tool on this site to ensure that the conveyancers are on the appropriate lender panels. On the basis that they are the conveyancer will be able to connect the two transactions but you should have a chat with you lawyer and specify your desired outcome and requirements.