Me and my partner are purchasing a 1 bedroom apartment in Belvedere with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Belvedere solicitor, however the bank says she’s not on their "panel". It appears that we have little option but to instruct one of the mortgage company panel solicitors or continue with our Belvedere solicitor as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. We consider that this is unjust; can we not insist that the lender use our Belvedere conveyancing practitioner ?

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. A further alternative is for your Belvedere conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

Will lawyers request money up-front for my conveyancing in Belvedere?

If you are buying a property in Belvedere your lawyer will request that you put them with monies to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. Ordinarily this is called for to cover the fees of the Local Authority Search. When the deposit is payable against the purchase price then this should be asked for immediately prior to contracts are exchanged. The closing balance that is needed should be transferred shortly before completion.

I am buying a new build house in Belvedere benefiting from help to buy. The developers would not move on the price so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The house builders rep advised me not disclose to my solicitor about the side-deal as it could impact my mortgage with Lloyds TSB 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.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I have offered on last month in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Belvedere is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Belvedere are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Belvedere you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Belvedere may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.

I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing lawyer in Belvedere for my home move. Is it possible to review a solicitor's record with the profession’s regulator?

One can find published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations arising from inquisitions from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. To find information Pre 2008, or to check a firm's history, ring 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For non-uk callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA sometimes recorded telephone calls for training reasons.