Recently been in touch with my conveyancing solicitor in Whitton who acted for me 18 months ago and wanted a conveyancing quote based on an identical type of house move (a leasehold residence and a freehold property) of similar values with a mortgage from Virgin Money. I am now being quoted double. Am I right to be tempted to shop around for a cheaper internet conveyancer?

The costs illustration is slightly on the expensive side. Where you are prepared to invest time comparing charges you might decrease the fees marginally by as much as a hundred pounds. On the other hand, if you were happy with the assistance the firm provided you mightcome to regret choosing an an untested lawyer. Remember to enquire the solicitor can also act for Virgin Money. Do make use of our search tool to get a quote a Whitton conveyancing firm on the Virgin Money approved list of lawyers, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Whitton.

My nephew is in the process of securing a newly built flat in Whitton with a mortgage from HSBC. His solicitor has said that there is a delay in receiving the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. Who needs to receive the form?

The form is intended to provide information to the main parties involved in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the HSBC conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the surveyor when asked. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the HSBC conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

How can we tell if a Whitton conveyancing solicitor on the Skipton panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Whitton seeking 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 suggest that you speak with the solicitor handling your conveyancing.

We are getting a further advance on our home loan from Lloyds as we wish to carry out improvements to our property in Whitton. Are we obliged to appoint a nearby Whitton solicitor on the Lloyds conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Lloyds do not ordinarily appoint firms on their conveyancing panel to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Lloyds panel.

Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Whitton solicitor - who is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Virgin Money will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Virgin Money will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Whitton surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

I'm buying a new build house in Whitton with a loan from Yorkshire Building Society. The developers would not budge the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The property agent advised me not reveal to my conveyancer about the extras as it would affect my loan with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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.

I have been advised by a number of estate agents in Whitton to get a quote from a solicitor using your seach tool. Is there a financial upside for Estate Agents to promote your site over another?

We refuse to give any financial incentive for pointing buyers and sellers to this site. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission because a client could think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.