My brother-in-law has suggested I instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Highams Park. I I would like to check if they are on the The Mortgage Works approved list of lawyers. Could you help?

The first thing you should do is phone the conveyancer and enquire if they are on the lender panel. Otherwise you should get in touch with The Mortgage Works who may be able to confirm.

When it comes to lenders such as Nottingham, do Highams Park lawyers face a yearly amount to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are not aware of any lender fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

We are getting the release of further monies on our mortgage from Santander as we want to conduct improvements to our property in Highams Park. Are we obliged to choose a nearby Highams Park solicitor on the Santander conveyancing panel to handle the paperwork?

Santander would not normally require firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Santander panel.

I've read lots of house buying guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Highams Park solicitor - who is on the UBS conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

UBS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually UBS 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 Highams Park 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.

I am planning on selling our property in Highams Park and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was constructed land that was not decontaminated. Any local conveyancer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers used a web based conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Highams Park. Having lived in Highams Park for six years we know that this is a non issue. Should we contact our local Authority to get clarification that there is no issue.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm already. What do they say? You must enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same sickness)

I am buying my first flat in Highams Park with a loan from Skipton Building Society. The sellers refused to move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The sale representative advised me not reveal to my solicitor about the extras as it could impact my loan with Skipton Building Society. Is this normal?.

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.

I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing lawyer in Highams Park for my home move. Is it possible to see a solicitor's record with the profession’s regulator?

Anyone may see documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions arising from investigations commenced on or after Jan 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a firm's record, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For non-uk callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA could monitor call for training reasons.