I am purchasing residence in Wymondham. My property lawyer has never been on on the lender conveyancing list. Is it possible for me to retain my Wymondham conveyancing solicitor even though they are not on the bank panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?

You have numerous options open to you here

• Complete the purchase with your existing Wymondham property lawyer but your lender will no doubt appoint a conveyancer on their approved list. This will result in additional fees and likely frustration.
• Choose a new property lawyer to conduct the conveyancing, making sure they are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel.
• Convince your lawyer to pull out all the stops to get listed on the bank’s conveyancing panel

We wanted to use a property lawyer in Wymondham for our house move. Our broker informed us that our mortgage lenders Norwich and Peterborough Building Society won't deal with them. Why is this not regarded as unduly restrictive?

A decade ago most banks had a different appetite for risk. Almost all Wymondham conveyancing firms would have been on most mortgage company panels. The financial services regulator in 2010 conducted a thematic review into mortgage fraud which come to the conclusion: mortgage lenders should know the conveyancing solicitors dealt with. Consequently, mortgage companies have regularly sought more information from law firms about their operations and their employees and establishing certain criteria such a completing on a minimum volume of conveyancing. Many Wymondham conveyancing firms that have been excluded from lender panels have a 100% healthy track record, no complaints and no claims and didn't just 'dabble' in conveyancing. Wymondham is amongst the hundreds of areas where the lawyers we recommend are members of the panel for Norwich and Peterborough Building Society.

A relative suggested that if I am buying in Wymondham I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Wymondham conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about Wymondham around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Wymondham Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Wymondham.

I am purchasing my first flat in Wymondham with a loan from Yorkshire Building Society. The sellers would not move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The sale representative told me not disclose to my lawyer about the deal as it will adversely affect my mortgage with the bank. Is this normal?.

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've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a property I have offered on a fortnight ago in what should have been a simple, no chain conveyancing. Wymondham is the location of the property. Is there any advice you can impart?

Flying freeholds in Wymondham are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Wymondham you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Wymondham may ascertain 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.