I am hoping to receive a mortgage with Nat West. My intention is to use a Licensed Conveyancer in Conisborough. Does the Nat West Solicitor panel allow for Licensed Conveyancers?

The Nat West conveyancing panel is, like many other lenders, associated to the CML or Building Society Association, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.

If you had a top tip for selecting a conveyancing solicitor in Conisborough what would it be?

Do not opt for the cheapest Conisborough conveyancing quote. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in ahead of time.

Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Aldermore. Conisborough conveyancing practitioners have been instructed. How long does it take for Aldermore to send the offer to the conveyancer?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Aldermore conducted the valuation? Have you informed Aldermore as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Conisborough solicitor - who is on the Barclays conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Barclays will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Barclays 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 Conisborough postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Barclays, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Conisborough.

I have been told that property searches are the main cause of delay in Conisborough conveyancing transactions. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published determinations of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the common causes of delays during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are not likely to feature in any delay in conveyancing in Conisborough.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Conisborough?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Conisborough. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I'm purchasing a new build house in Conisborough with a loan from Bank of Ireland. The developers refused to move on the price so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative suggested that I not to tell my conveyancer about the side-deal as it could affect my mortgage with Bank of Ireland. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.