My IFA has requested my Exmoor law firm’s panel reference for the Santander conveyancing panel. How do I find this out. I have contacted my local Exmoor office but they don't know it.

Have you tried calling your Exmoor lawyer about this?. Most Exmoor law firms will keep a file or database of lender panel information which would include, if applicable, their conveyancing panel details for each bank.

Should lawyers request money up-front for my conveyancing in Exmoor?

If you are buying a property in Exmoor your solicitor will ask you to provide them with monies to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. Generally this is requested to cover the fees of the conveyancing searches. When the deposit is payable against the purchase price then this will be asked for immediately before contracts are exchanged. Any further balance that is needed will be payable shortly before completion.

I am assisting my sister sell her house in Exmoor. Does the solicitor arrange an energy performance certificate or it is for me to coordinate?

Following the abolition of Home Information Packs, energy assessments was left as a mandatory part of selling a property. An energy assessment must be commissioned before the property is advertised. This is not a task that solicitors ordinarily arrange. Where you are using a Exmoor conveyancing solicitor they may be willing to arrange energy performance certificates due to their contacts with reputable Exmoor accredited person

Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Clydesdale. Exmoor conveyancing practitioners are appointed. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Clydesdale?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Clydesdale done the valuation? Have you informed Clydesdale as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

After much negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Exmoor. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £200. Soon after, the property lawyer called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Coventry BS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Am I better off to instruct a Exmoor conveyancing practitioner based in the vicinity that I am purchasing? An old friend can perform the legal formalities however her office is 400kilometers away.

The benefit of a high street Exmoor conveyancing practice is that you can attend the office to execute paperwork, deliver your ID and pester them if necessary. They will also have local intelligence which is a benefit. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If other friends have instructed your friend and they were impressed that should surpass using an unfamiliar Exmoor conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being based in the area.

I have finally had an offer on an apartment in Exmoor agreed to, the owner does nevertheless have an associated purchase. The sellers have offered on on an apartment, but it’s not been accepted yet, and has viewings of other flats in the pipeline. I have chosen a local conveyancing lawyer in Exmoor. What do I do now? At what point do I apply for the mortgage with Leeds Building Society?

It is standard to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses too early (mortgage application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then survey, Exmoor conveyancing search fees, etc). The first course of action is to check that your solicitor is on the Leeds Building Society approved list. Regarding the next phase this very much dictated by the circumstances of your transaction, desire for the property and on the state of the market. During a buoyant market the majority of buyers will apply for a home loan with Leeds Building Society and pay for the survey and only if it was satisfactory would they request their conveyancer to move forward with the conveyancing in Exmoor.