Unfortunately I am unable to travel far from Yatton. Is there a reason why all Yatton conveyancing practitioners are not on all lender panels?

Pre- 2008 most mortgage companies demonstrated an approach to risk which is different than today. The FSA in 2010 carried out a thematic review into fraud which concluded: know the conveyancing practitioners on your panel. Accordingly, mortgage companies have subsequently looked to extract more data from law firms concerning their processes and the individuals who work for them and set certain criteria such as completing a minimum number of transactions. Many firms have found themselves excluded from lender panels even though they had 100% healthy disciplinary record, no complaints and zero claims and didn't just 'dabble' in conveyancing. Such firms were never going to satisfy the criteria of amount of transactions the mortgage companies set.

When can the exchange of contracts happen for residential conveyancing in Yatton and am I required to be at the conveyancers office?

Where you are round the corner to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Yatton you are invited in to sign documents. That being said, the lender approved solicitors we work with offer a national conveyancing service and give as equally comprehensive and professional a job for you when communicating with you digitally. The signing of the property agreement is not when everything is set in stone. A signed contract is necessary for the conveyancer to address the formalities at the suitable time, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The procedure is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where an extended "chain" is in play, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Yatton)to be in the office at the appropriate time.

My husband and I have organised the release of further monies on our home loan from UBS as we want to conduct alterations to our property in Yatton. Are we obliged to select a high street Yatton solicitor on the UBS conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?

UBS don't usually appoint a member of their approved list of lawyers 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 UBS panel.

Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Lloyds. Yatton conveyancing lawyers have been instructed. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Lloyds?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have Lloyds conducted the survey? Have you informed Lloyds as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Lloyds conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Yatton. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their solicitor. I paid an on account payment of £225. A couple of days later, the conveyancing practitioner called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Skipton panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I am buying my first flat in Yatton benefiting from help to buy. The developers would not budge the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The house builders rep advised me not inform my conveyancer about this side-deal as it may affect my loan with the lender. 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.

I am looking for a conveyancing solicitor in Yatton for my sale. Is it possible to review a solicitor's record with the profession’s regulator?

Members of the public may review documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from inquisitions from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. For records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors history, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For callers outside the UK, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator could monitor call for training purposes.