We are hoping to buy a 1 bedroom flat in Marsden with a mortgage. We have a Marsden conveyancer, however the bank advise he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel conveyancing practices or continue with our Marsden conveyancing practitioner as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Marsden conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

We are purchasing a house and need a conveyancing solicitor in Marsden who is on the Skipton approved panel. Can you recommend a local firm?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Skipton . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Marsden.

My lawyer has informed me that lack of right of way insurance is required on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Marsden conveyancing?

The right level of lack of right of way indemnity insurance depends on who your lender is. It would differ for example between Accord Mortgages Ltd and Skipton Building Society. Conveyancing lawyers as opposed to members of the public take out such policies.

Is it the case that all Marsden 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 overseen by the SRA. Many lenders do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the practice would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

I have finally had an offer on a flat in Marsden agreed to, but there is a chain. The owners have offered on a property, however it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other apartments in the pipeline. I have chosen a local conveyancing solicitor in Marsden. What should be my next step? At what stage do I apply for the mortgage with Coventry BS?

It is normal to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (home loan application is approx £1k, then valuation, Marsden conveyancing search charges, etc). The first thing to do is check that your conveyancing practitioner is on the Coventry BS approved list. Regarding the next phase this very much depends on the uniqueness of your case, motivation for this property and on the state of the market. During a rising market many buyers would apply for a home loan with Coventry BS and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their conveyancer to move forward with searches.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Marsden with a mortgage from Santander. The builders would not move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The estate agent advised me not inform my solicitor about this side-deal as it would jeopardize my mortgage with Santander. 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 am four weeks into a freehold purchase having been directed to solicitors by the high street agent to execute conveyancing in Marsden. I am am starting to be disappointed with the level of service. Can you you assist me in finding new lawyers?

A conveyancer would have to be really poor to suggest diss instructing them. Has your mortgage offer been generated? If so you need to advise them of the new contact details and have the offer are re-issued. Your solicitor ideally should be on the lenders panel to avoid added charges and frustration. So that should be your first question of the new conveyancers. The search tool should assist you in finding a bank approved conveyancer for your home move in Marsden