My partner’s step-father is a solicitor. I am hopeful that I will receive friends and family fee for conveyancing, but if not, what level of figure would I typically be looking at for conveyancing in Buckinghamshire?

It’s a good idea to get 3 or more like-for-like conveyancing estimates. Make use of our comparison tool on this site. Whilst quotes seem to vary but service levels do are distinct between solicitors as is the case with the vast majority of professional services.

My house in Buckinghamshire is up for sale and I have a purchaser. Will the have to be required to be on the conveyancing panel in order to deal with the discharge of my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their specifications fairly frequently currently.

I am helping my mother sell her flat in Buckinghamshire. Does the solicitor order the EPC or it is for the seller to coordinate?

After the abolition of Home Information Packs, EPC’s was left as a mandatory element of moving house. An EPC must be to hand prior to the property being marketed. It is not something that lawyers normally organise. Where you are instructing a Buckinghamshire conveyancing lawyer they may help arrange energy assessments given their contacts with long established Buckinghamshire assessors

I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Buckinghamshire. My mortgage broker suggested a . I paid an advanced payment of £175. Soon after, the contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the 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 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 they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Buckinghamshire solicitor - who is on the conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

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

My wife and I own a 4 bedroom Victorian property in Buckinghamshire. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and . I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same property. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Buckinghamshire and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the position with your conveyancing lawyer who conducted the purchase.

Our conveyancing solicitor in Buckinghamshire has informed me that he requires proof of ID documents asserting that this is part of his retainer as a conveyancer on the lender Solicitor panel. Can you confirm whether this is the case?

Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules require Buckinghamshire conveyancing solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identity of the person or body they are dealing with before they can accept their conveyancing business. The Terms and Conditions that you need to sign will no doubt confirm this. Your lawyer is right that the lender also require certain documents to be viewed. If a you refuse to provide ID verification documents, your conveyancer would not be able to accept instructions from you. Your lawyer also has obligations to obtain certain documents in accordance with the lender's UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements