Me and my fiance are intending to acquire a 2 bedroom apartment in Plymouth with a mortgage. We have a Plymouth conveyancer, but the mortgage company says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel firms or continue with our Plymouth lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. We consider that this is inequitable; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’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 Plymouth conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

In scouring consumer advice sites for a high-quality solicitor in Plymouth, many advise that I must instruct a CQS accredited solicitor. What is CQS?

The Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme is the recognised quality mark for legal experts in home ownership transfers, trusted by some of the UK's leading lenders. In 2011-12 the Conveyancing Quality Scheme was officially recognised by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). CQS is not a scheme offered by the Council of Licensed Conveyancing. Plymouth is one of the numerous areas in England and Wales where there are Accredited solicitors.

What will a local search inform me regarding the house my wife and I purchasing in Plymouth?

Plymouth conveyancing often commences with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search organisations for instance Onsearch The local search is essential in every Plymouth conveyancing purchase; that is if you wish to avoid any nasty surprises after you move into your new home. The search will provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 subject areas.

I am buying my first flat in Plymouth with a loan from Alliance & Leicester . The sellers refused to move on the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent advised me not inform my solicitor about the deal as it may 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.

New build sellers have recommended to me a lawyer and I've received an estimate from them. They are nearly £250 less expensive than my own Plymouth lawyer. What's the catch?

Builders frequently have lists of property lawyers who are quick and who know the builder's documentation and property lawyer. Plenty of developers offer an incentive to choose their approved lawyer for this reason, any increased fees can be avoided and a developer will not put forward a conveyancing factory and run the risk of having the transaction delayed when they want exchange within a tight deadline. A counter-argument for not opting for the suggested conveyancing practitioner is that they may prove hesitant to fight for your interests for fear of alienating the housebuilder. Where you have concerns that this may be the situation you should keep with your high street Plymouth conveyancer.