Me and my fiancee are acquiring our first home. Our property lawyer has texted usto see if we would like to order extra conveyancing searches. We are really unsure what's recommended for conveyancing in Totton

The number and type of Totton conveyancing searches depends entirely on the premises, the location, the likelihood of any of these risks, your knowledge of the region and risks, your general approach to risk. What is important is that you adequately understand what information each search could give you. You may then make a decision if you personally think you need that search. Where you are unsure, ask the conveyancing practitioner to recommend.

Completed the sale of my flat in Totton last December yet the purchaser is Skype messaging me to say their conveyancer needs to hear from mine. What should my lawyer have done now that I have sold?

Post completion of your disposal your solicitor is committed to deliver the transfer deeds and all of the paperwork to the buyer’s lawyers. Depending on the transaction, your lawyer should also send confirmation that the home loan has been paid off to the purchasers solicitors. There is unlikely to be post completion requirements just for conveyancing in Totton.

When looking at moneysavingexpert.com for a cheap solicitor in Totton, many comment that I should instruct a CQS kitemarked lawyer. What is CQS?

The Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) provides a kitemark for residential conveyancing practices issued by the Law Society. Membership achievement establishes a level of credibility for member firms with stakeholders (regulators, lenders, insurers and consumers) based upon: * the integrity of the senior responsible officer and other key conveyancing staff * the firm's adherence to good practice management standards * compliance with best practice conveyancing procedures through the scheme protocol It covers numerous firms who perform conveyancing in Totton.

We had selected conveyancing lawyers based in Totton on the Santander solicitor panel. They have just billed me an additional sum for the legal aspects of the Santander mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Santander?

Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your property lawyer is entitled to charge a fee for this. The fee is not dictated by Santander but by your Totton solicitor. Some firms on the Santander panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Totton. My financial adviser suggested a conveyancer. I paid an advanced payment of £150. Not long after, the conveyancer called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Clydesdale 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 Clydesdale 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.

Having read lots of house buying guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Totton solicitor - who is on the RBS conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

RBS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually RBS 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. You may wish to consider appointing your own Totton surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

In my capacity as executor for the will of my grandfather I am disposing of a residence in Swansea but reside in Totton. My conveyancer (who is 300 kilometers awayneeds me to sign a stat dec prior to completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing lawyer in Totton to witness this legal document for me?

Technically speaking you should not need to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily any notary public or solicitor will do regardless of whether they are Totton based