The Barnt Green conveyancing firm handling our Barnt Green conveyancing has identified a discrepancy between the assumptions in the home valuation survey and what is revealed within the title deeds. My solicitor informs me that he must check that the bank is OK with this discrepancy and is content to go ahead. Is my conveyancer’s stance legitimate?

Your conveyancing practitioner must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for both parties.

Please explain the implications if my solicitor is removed from the RBS Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Barnt Green?

First, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.

Me and my partner are buying a apartment in Barnt Green. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a conveyancer? On completion day we will need to send our life savings into their account. What is the protection 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.

Are all Barnt Green Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Barclays conveyancing list of approved practices?

A selection of banks and building societies now make use of CQS as the kick off point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to join their approved list of firms.

I am purchasing a property in Barnt Green. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Bank of Ireland be concerned?

Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Bank of Ireland your lawyer must comply with the formal requirements set out in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Bank of Ireland. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook includes minimum provisions for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancing practitioners are required to report to Bank of Ireland where a lease does not satisfy these provisions. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not limited to Barnt Green.

Me and my brother have a semi-detached Georgian house in Barnt Green. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Accord Mortgages Ltd. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Barnt Green and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing solicitor who completed the work.

I'm purchasing a new build house in Barnt Green with a loan from Barclays Direct. The sellers refused to budge the price so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent advised me not to tell my solicitor about this extras as it could put at risk 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.