I have a decision in principle. The bank mentioned the mortgage came with free conveyancing. Does this mean I have to appoint their panel solicitor as I would prefer to instruct a Whitmore based conveyancing firm?

You should check but the the likelihood is that appoint one of their panel lawyers if you take up the "fee-free" deal. Contact the mortgage company to determine if they make available a cash alternative. In the past a few mortgage companies offered a £250 cashback as a further option in which case that money can go towards your preferred conveyancing solicitor near Whitmore.

We are purchasing a house in Whitmore. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a lawyer? At some point we will need to send funds into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our deposit?

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.

My bid for a property was accepted at auction in Whitmore. Conveyancing is needed. What happens now?

Having exchanged you must find a conveyancing solicitor quickly as you will have a tight a drop dead date to complete the deal. Every auction property should have an associated auction set of papers. This should include most,if not all of the paperwork that your conveyancer will need. Where you are dealing with leasehold property the legal pack should provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing documentation specific to leasehold premises. You should pass this on to the lawyer working for you at the earliest opportunity. You also need to ensure that your finances are in place to complete the transaction on the set completion date.

Is it the case that all Whitmore solicitor practices on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel are overseen by the SRA?

As solicitors, in order to be on the Yorkshire BS approved list of solicitors they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Some lenders do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the firms would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

I am purchasing my first flat in Whitmore with a loan from Lloyds TSB Bank. The sellers refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The property agent suggested that I not inform my lawyer about this side-deal as it may put at risk my mortgage with Lloyds TSB Bank. 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.

Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Whitmore prior to retaining conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. Our surveyor has said that some banks will not issue a mortgage on such a property.

It varies from the lender to lender. HSBC has different requirements for example to Halifax. Should you wish to call us we can check with the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Whitmore. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

I am looking into buying my first house which is in Whitmore and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Whitmore. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Whitmore area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Whitmore. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found