I am progressing with the sale of my flat in Horsford and the estate agent has just text me to warn that the buyers are changing their solicitor. The excuse is that the mortgage company will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a leading lender only deal with specific law firms rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in Horsford ?

UK lenders have always had panels of law firms that can act for them, but in recent years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for over 25 years.

Lending institutions blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the reduction – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.

I am buying a house and need a conveyancing solicitor in Horsford who is on the Alliance & Leicester approved. Can you recommend a local firm?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Alliance & Leicester in certain locations such as Horsford. We dont recommend any particular firm.

A relative suggested that where I am buying in Horsford I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Horsford conveyancing searches. It is a large document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Horsford around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Horsford Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about Horsford.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Horsford with a mortgage from Bank of Scotland. The builders would not budge the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The estate agent told me not reveal to my conveyancer about the side-deal as it may adversely affect my mortgage with Bank of Scotland. 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.

Is it possible to switch firm as I have to instruct a firm on the Virgin Money conveyancing list. I hired a local conveyancing solicitor in Horsford five minutes from me but he is not accepted by Virgin Money

It would be our pleasure to help you select a conveyancing solicitor in Horsford on the Virgin Money panel. Please note that the property lawyers that we on the directory do not pay us commission if you instruct them and are under regulation of the SRA who regulate all conveyancing solicitors in Horsford. In making use of search facility on this site, you can contrast costs for conveyancing solicitors in Horsford and throughout England and Wales.