Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Higham Wood is not identified on my bank's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of the firm’s work?

It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) lack of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should simply call the Higham Wood conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.

The owners have very assertive vendors who has insisted on a lock out contract with a non-refundable deposit 10k. Is it wise to enter into such agreements?

Exclusivity contracts are agreements binding a property vendor and purchaser giving the buyer a ‘clear field’ to the sale of the premises within an agreed time frame. Essentially, a lock out agreement is a contract specifying that you will have a contract at a later date which is the main conveyancing contract. It is generally used for buyer assurance though in many situations, the vendor may enjoy an upside from such agreements as well. There are numerous positives and negatives to using them but you need to check with your conveyancer but note that it may result in costing you extra in conveyancing charges. In light of this these agreements are not popular when it comes to conveyancing in Higham Wood.

My wife and I purchased a terraced Georgian property in Higham Wood. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and TSB. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the matching property. Is it worth asking TSB to clarify?

You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Higham Wood and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the position with your conveyancing lawyer who completed the work.

I am buying a new build house in Higham Wood with a mortgage from Britannia. The sellers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative told me not to tell my conveyancer about this deal as it will jeopardize 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.

How easy is it to use your search tool to get a quote from a conveyancing solicitor in Higham Wood on the approved list for my lender?

1st select a mortgage company such as Lloyds TSB Bank, Bank of Scotland or TSB then specify your preferred area for instance Higham Wood. Conveyancing organisations in Higham Wood and nationally will then be identified.