Recently been in touch with my conveyancing solicitor in Abingdon who acted for me 18 months ago and wanted a conveyancing estimate based on an identical type of house move (a leasehold residence and a freehold property) of almost identical values with a home loan from Bank of Ireland. It looks as though am now being charged double. Am I right to be tempted to shop around for a cheaper internet conveyancer?

The costs illustration is fractionally on the steep side. If you you were to look around you could get the conveyancing a bit cheaper by as much as £100 plus VAT. On the other hand, if you were pleased with the legal work the firm offered you couldlive to regret choosing an an untested lawyer. Don't forget to ensure the solicitor can act for Bank of Ireland. Do make use of our search tool to locate a Abingdon conveyancing firm on the Bank of Ireland approved list of lawyers, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Abingdon.

My wife and I are buying a house in Abingdon. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a solicitor? On the day of competition we will need to deposit funds into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our monies?

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.

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Santander, do Abingdon solicitors face a yearly amount to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are unaware of any lender fees to register on their panel, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Abingdon. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £175. A couple of days later, the solicitor contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Leeds Building Society 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 Leeds Building Society 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 completed on my flat on 3 February and the transaction details is yet to be registered. Need I be worried? My conveyancing solicitor in Abingdon advises it should be dealt with in less than a month. Are transfers in Abingdon particularly slow to register?

There is nothing unique about conveyancing in Abingdon registration formalities. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can differ depending on the party submitting the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry have to notify any interested persons or bodies. At present approximately three quarters of such applications are fully dealt with within two weeks but some can be subject to protracted delays. Historically registration is effected once the buyer is living at the premises thus an expedited registration is not typically primary concern yet where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your solicitor should contact the land registry and explain the circumstances.

I am purchasing my first flat in Abingdon with the aid of help to buy. The sellers refused to reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative advised me not disclose to my lawyer about this extras as it would impact my mortgage with National Westminster Bank. Should I keep quiet?.

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.

My offer on property in Abingdon has been accepted, but there is a chain. The owners have put an offer on a flat, however it’s not been accepted yet, and are looking at other flats booked. I have selected a local conveyancing lawyer in Abingdon. What do I do now? At what stage do I apply for the mortgage with Nationwide?

It is understandable to have concerns where there is an associated chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (mortgage application is in the region of £1k, then survey, Abingdon conveyancing search fees, etc). The first thing to do is ensure that your conveyancer is on the Nationwide approved list. As to the next phase this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your transaction, desire for this property and on the state of the market. During a hot market some purchasers will apply for a home loan with Nationwide and arrange for the survey and only if it was satisfactory would they request their solicitor to press on with searches.