Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Ivybridge is not identified on my mortgage company's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of his conveyancing?

It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should simply call the Ivybridge conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.

My stepmother advised me that in purchasing a property in Ivybridge there could be a number of restrictions preventing external alterations to a property. Is this right?

We are aware of a number of properties in Ivybridge which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to perform external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Ivybridge should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

When it comes to lenders such as Santander, do Ivybridge conveyancers have to pay a fee to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are not aware of any lender fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

I am selling my house. I had a double glazing fitted in November 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Nationwide are being problematic. The Ivybridge solicitor who is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Nationwide are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Nationwide have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Nationwide have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Nationwide may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

I'm buying my first flat in Ivybridge benefiting from help to buy. The developers would not budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The sale representative suggested that I not reveal to my conveyancer about the deal as it will jeopardize my loan with the lender. 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.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £245,000 and found one close by in Ivybridge I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, the downside is that it only has 49 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Ivybridge in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

Should you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be an issue. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.

Am I best advised to choose a Ivybridge conveyancing solicitor who is local to the property I am purchasing? I have an old university friend who can deal with the legal formalities but they are based over three hundred kilometers away.

The primary upside of using a local Ivybridge conveyancing firm is that you can pop in to execute paperwork, deliver your identification documents and pester them if necessary. They will also have local insight which is a plus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If you know people who used your friend and they were content that must surpass using an unfamiliar Ivybridge conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being based in the area.