My partner and I are buying a newly built duplex in Westcombe Park and my solicitor is informing me that she is duty bound to the mortgage company to disclose incentives from the builder. I am on a tight deadline to exchange and my preference is not to prolong deal. is my lawyer playing by the book?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your property lawyer. A precondition to being on a lender panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

My fiance and I are buying a newbuild apartment in Westcombe Park with a homeloan from Platform Home Loans Ltd.We have a Westcombe Park conveyancing practitioner but Platform Home Loans Ltd informed us his firm is not on their approved list of firms. we are left little option but to use a Platform Home Loans Ltd panel firm or keep our local solicitor and pay for a Platform Home Loans Ltd panel lawyer to represent them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that Platform Home Loans Ltd use our lawyer?

Unfortunately,no. The home loan issued to you is subject to its various provisions, one of which will be that conveyancers must be on the Platform Home Loans Ltd approved list. in the past, most mortgage companies had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could find 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. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Platform Home Loans Ltd

I am purchasing a detached bungalow in Westcombe Park. The intention is to an extension at the rear at the house.Will legal investigations on the property involve investigations to ascertain if these alterations are permitted?

Your solicitor will review the deeds as conveyancing in Westcombe Park will sometimes identify restrictions in the title deeds which prevent certain changes or require the consent of a 3rd party. Many additions call for local authority planning consent and approval under the building regulations. Some locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor before you commit yourself to a purchase.

My husband and I have arranged a further advance on our home loan from Skipton as we wish to conduct improvements to our home in Westcombe Park. Do we need to appoint a high street Westcombe Park solicitor on the Skipton conveyancing panel to handle the paperwork?

Skipton would not normally appoint firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Skipton panel.

I was told three weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Skipton. Is it usual for Skipton to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Westcombe Park is approved on their conveyancing panel? Skipton have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their PI Insurance.

Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Skipton to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Skipton conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I used Arc property Solicitors several years ago for my conveyancing in Westcombe Park. Now, I need the documents however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Westcombe Park of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

Should I stop the direct debit for my mortgage with Leeds Building Society once a completion date for my home sale in Westcombe Park has been set?

No, you must continue paying any mortgage sums to Leeds Building Society pending the mortgage being paid off from the proceeds of sale as part of your Westcombe Park conveyancing.