Is the fact that my solicitor in Irlam is not on my mortgage company's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of her conveyancing?

That is most likely an incorrect assumption to make. There are plenty of plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should simply call the Irlam conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.

How do I investigate if the solicitor handling my conveyancing in Irlam is on the bank’sapproved panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for Barclays Direct thus paying £192.00 in additional legal invoice.

Feel free to take advantage of the find a lender approved solicitor tool on this web page. Pick the lender and type ‘Irlam’ or your location and you will discover numerous conveyancers based in Irlam or near you.

Can you help - my lawyer advises that absentee landlord insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Irlam?

The appropriate level of absentee landlord indemnity insurance depends on who your lender is. It would differ for example between Yorkshire Building Society and The Royal Bank of Scotland. Conveyancing lawyers as opposed to members of the public take out such insurances.

I am the single beneficiary of my late father’s will and I have everything in my name now, including the my former home in Irlam. The Irlam property was put into my name in December. 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 if I'd bought the property in December. Will no one buy the property for half a year?

The CML handbook obliges conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you may be affected by that. Some mortgage companies would take a pragmatic view as this obligation is chiefly there to capture subsales or the flipping of properties.

Is it the case that all Irlam CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing list of approved firms?

A selection of lenders now utilise CQS as the kick off point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to remain on their panels.

I'm buying a new build house in Irlam with a loan from Bank of Scotland. The builders refused to reduce the price so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep told me not to tell my solicitor about the side-deal as it could jeopardize my mortgage with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £305k and identified one near me in Irlam I like with a park and station nearby, the downside is that it only has 61 years on the lease. There is not much else in Irlam in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?

If you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you can request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.