Is the fact that my solicitor in Waltham Abbey is not on my bank's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of her work?

It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should contact the Waltham Abbey conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.

What is the first thing I need to know regarding purchase conveyancing in Waltham Abbey?

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Waltham Abbey or throughout Essex is an adversarial process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is lots of opportunity for conflict between you and others involved in the transaction. For example, the vendor, selling agent and even potentially the bank. Choosing a law firm for your conveyancing in Waltham Abbey should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONLY person in the process whose interest is to protect your best interests and to protect you.

Sometimes a potential adversary will try and persuade you that it is in your interests to do things their way. As an example, the property agent may claim to be helping by claiming that your lawyer is wrong. Or your financial adviser may advise you to do take action that is against your solicitors recommendation. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties when it comes to the legal transfer of property.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Waltham Abbey with a loan from TSB. The developers would not move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The sale representative suggested that I not inform my lawyer about this deal as it may adversely affect my mortgage 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.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in last month in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Waltham Abbey is where the house is located. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Waltham Abbey are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Waltham Abbey you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Waltham Abbey may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.

How do I use the search app to locate a conveyancing practitioner in Waltham Abbey on the panel for my mortgage?

First select a mortgage company such as Halifax, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society or Bank of Ireland then type in your location a common one being Waltham Abbey. Conveyancing practices in Waltham Abbey and beyond will then be identified.