My wife and I are due to exchange on the purchase of a house in Victoria but as a consequence of damage from a small fire at the property I have was able negotiate reparation from the seller in the sum of £3k by way of a adjustment in the price. I had intended this to be addressed as part of amending the contract however Bank of Ireland are not allowing this. Why were they approached?

The conveyancer that is on a Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel is obliged to inform Bank of Ireland of any amendments to the purchase price. If you were to refuse your property lawyer to disclose the price change to Bank of Ireland then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Bank of Ireland and you would have to appoint a new lawyer for your conveyancing in Victoria.

When can the exchange of contracts occur in residential conveyancing in Victoria and do I need to be at the lawyers branch?

Where you are local to our conveyancing solicitors in Victoria you are invited in to sign documents. That being said, the firms we recommend supply countrywide coverage for conveyancing and give just as diligent and professional a job for you when dealing with you by post or email. The signing of the property agreement is not the important part. A signed contract is just a prerequisite for the solicitor to officially exchange at the suitable time, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The exchange process is is usually a five minute process, although where a long "chain" is involved, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Victoria)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

Me and my partner are buying a apartment in Victoria. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a lawyer? On the day of competition we will need to send our life savings into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our money?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

How can we tell if a Victoria conveyancing solicitor on the TSB panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Victoria getting recommendations is a sensible start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always recommend that you speak with the solicitor carrying out your conveyancing.

The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Victoria. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

All lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Victoria with a loan from Virgin Money. The developers would not budge the price so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The property agent advised me not reveal to my conveyancer about the deal as it will adversely affect my mortgage 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.

As co-executor for the estate of my grandmother I am selling a house in Neath but live in Victoria. My conveyancer (based 260 miles from mehas requested that I sign a statutory declaration prior to the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing solicitor in Victoria who can attest and place their company stamp on the document?

strictly speaking you should not be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or qualified solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are Victoria based