I had intended to instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Whitechapel for our house move. Our financial adviser has since notified us that our bank Nottingham Building Society won't deal with them. Why is this not regarded as unfair competition?

Lenders on the whole restrict either the type or the volume of conveyancing solicitors on their member panel. A common example of such restriction(s) being that a law practice must not be a sole practitioner. As well as restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. Be aware that Nottingham Building Society have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Nottingham Building Society Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the reduction of solicitor panels a few years ago even though there are mixed views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry indicate that thousands of law firms, including some in or near Whitechapel only execute a couple conveyances a year.

I happen to be the sole recipient of my late grandmother’s will with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Whitechapel. The Whitechapel property was put into my name in January. I plan to dispose of the property. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', which means that my proprietorship will be considered the same way as though I had purchased the property in January. Is the property unsalable for six months?

The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook requires solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you could be impacted by that. Most lenders would take a practical view as this provision is principally there to capture the purchase and immediately sell or the wholesaling and assigning of property.

Can I be sure that the Whitechapel conveyancing solicitor on the Barclays panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Whitechapel obtaining recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always recommend that you speak with the solicitor conducting your conveyancing.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Whitechapel conveyancer having made sure that they are on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

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

Will my conveyancer be raising questions about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Whitechapel.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for solicitors specialising in conveyancing in Whitechapel. There are those who purchase a property in Whitechapel, fully aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or sell the property. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.

Lawyers are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a various checks that may be undertaken by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which should give them a better understanding of the risks in Whitechapel. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms given to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a standard question of the vendor to discover whether the property has suffered from flooding. In the event that flooding has previously occurred and is not disclosed by the vendor, then a purchaser may commence a claim for damages resulting from an incorrect response. The buyer’s lawyers will also order an enviro report. This will reveal whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, further investigations will need to be made.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Whitechapel?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Whitechapel. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I'm purchasing my first flat in Whitechapel with a loan from HSBC Bank. The sellers would not move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent advised me not reveal to my lawyer about this side-deal as it may impact my mortgage with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

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.