My fiance and I are planning to purchase a property in Slough and have appointed a Slough conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our conveyancer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. have this evening contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Slough conveyancer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?

If you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is standard for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Slough lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

At what point does exchange of contracts take place for purchase conveyancing in Slough and am I required to be at the conveyancers office?

If you are round the corner to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Slough you are welcome to attend to sign documents. However, the law practices we recommend provide a national conveyancing service and give as equally detailed and professional a job for you when dealing with you by post or email. The executing of the sale agreement is not the important part. Signing on the dotted line is necessary for the conveyancer to exchange contracts when the time is right, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The procedure is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where a long "chain" is involved, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Slough)to be in the office at the appropriate time.

A friend informed me that in purchasing a property in Slough there may be a number of restrictions affecting the ability to carry out external alterations to the property. Is this right?

There are anumerous of properties in Slough which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Slough should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

We are getting the release of further monies on our mortgage from as we wish to conduct a loft conversion to our house in Slough. Are we obliged to appoint a local Slough solicitor on the conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

do not ordinarily require a member of their conveyancing panel to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the list.

have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a apartment in Slough has been accepted, what happens next?

The property agent will want to be informed of your 's details (ensure that the are on the lender’s approved list). Telephone or your financial adviser and finish off any relevant forms. will appoint a valuer who will get in contact with the selling agent or seller to book a time for the valuation to happen. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes approximately ten days for the mortgage offer to be issued. will issue the offer to you and your . The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Slough.

I am purchasing a new build house in Slough with the aid of help to buy. The sellers refused to move on the amount so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The estate agent advised me not to tell my solicitor about the side-deal as it would put at risk my loan with the bank. 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.

We are looking to buy a repression house in Slough and the bank selling would like to complete within a month. Do complete in this timeframe? Am I best advised to use a local Slough firm or an online organisation that advertises to complete quickly?

Attend your Slough high street. Pop in to 3 solicitor’s offices and ask to see a conveyancing solicitor for an estimate. Explain your needs and seek a commitment on speed. Appoint the firm that comes across as most genuine. Make sure to choose a on the list of acceptable to your mortgage company.