The owners have very pushy vendors who has insisted on a preliminary contract with a down payment 6,000. Are such agreements sensible?

There are a couple of primary downsides with entering into any lock out agreement (sometimes known as a shut-out contract) is that it diverts attention away from making progress with the conveyancing transaction itself, so in the absence of it needing little or no negotiation then it may transpire to be unhelpful. It is not particularly popular by Bedford conveyancing lawyers for this reason. A supplemental negative is the extent of the remedies available - an aggrieved purchaser is extremely unlikely to be issued with an injunctive ruling by a court to stop the seller selling to a third party, so the only remedy open via the contract will be the recovery of wasted charges and, in rare scenarios, the additional payment of penalties.

Please explain the implications if my solicitor is removed from the Nationwide Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Bedford?

The first thing to point out is that, 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.

My wife and I buying a detached bungalow in Bedford. The intention is to an extension at the rear at the property.Will the conveyancing process include investigations to see if these works were previously refused?

Your conveyancer will check the registered title as conveyancing in Bedford will sometimes reveal restrictions in the title deeds which prohibit categories of changes or need the consent of a 3rd party. Some extensions need local authority planning consent and approval in compliance with building regulations. Certain locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or affect extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.

I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Bedford. My financial adviser suggested a lawyer. I paid an advanced payment of £225. Soon after, the conveyancing practitioner called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Co-operative 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 Co-operative 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've read lots of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Bedford solicitor - who is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Yorkshire BS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Yorkshire BS will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your conveyancer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Bedford postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Yorkshire BS, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Bedford.

I am buying a new build house in Bedford benefiting from help to buy. The developers would not reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The estate agent suggested that I not reveal to my solicitor about the extras as it may jeopardize my loan with the lender. 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.

What makes your site different to other online quote calculators when it comes to conveyancing in Bedford?

At this site obtain an accurate costs illustration from a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer that has a full understanding of the nuances of your conveyancing in Bedford. Unlike many estate agents and brokerage sites we do not have referral arrangements with solicitors. Many agents and online brokers 'recommend' solicitors who pay the highest kickback, not the best value conveyancing in Bedford