It has come to my attention via my mortgage adviser that my Stourbridge lawyer is not on the lender Solicitor panel. How can I be sure that this is correct?

Your first step should be to contact your Stourbridge lawyer directly. You lawyer should notify you of the situation. Where they are not on the panel they may be able to suggest a Stourbridge conveyancing firm that is on the approved list of lawyers for your mortgage company.

I had intended to instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Stourbridge for our home move. Our broker informed us that our mortgage company Skipton Building Society won't deal with them. Surely this is unfair competition?

A decade ago most lenders had a different appetite for risk. Almost all Stourbridge conveyancing firms would have been on many mortgage company panels. The FSA in 2010 completed a thematic investigation into mortgage fraud which concluded: know the conveyancing solicitors dealt with. Consequently, mortgage companies have regularly sought more data from law firms about their operations and the individuals who work for them as well as set certain criteria such a completing on a minimum amount of conveyancing. Many Stourbridge conveyancing firms that have been excluded from lender panels have Unblemished track record, no complaints and no claims and didn't just 'dabble' in conveyancing. Stourbridge is one of the hundreds of locations where the solicitors we list are are authorised to act for Skipton Building Society.

My wife and I have a 4 bedroom Victorian house in Stourbridge. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and TSB. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same property. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Stourbridge and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also check the position with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the purchase.

I am buying my first flat in Stourbridge benefiting from help to buy. The developers would not budge the price so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The sale representative told me not disclose to my conveyancer about the deal as it could impact my loan with the bank. 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.

My husband and I are 17 days into a freehold purchase having been referred to a firm by the high street agent to execute conveyancing in Stourbridge. I am am very dissatisfied with the quality of service. Could you you assist me in finding new lawyers?

They would have to be very poor to suggest replacing them. Has your mortgage offer been generated? If so you will need to advise them of the replacement conveyancer and have the offer are re-sent. Your new conveyancer should be on the mortgage company approved list to avoid supplemental charges and frustration. So that should be your first question of the new conveyancers. Our find a solicitor tool will assist you in finding a bank approved lawyer for your home move in Stourbridge