I am selling our home in Alton and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being built land that was not decontaminated. Any high street Alton lawyer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the purchasers are using a national conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Alton. Having lived in Alton for three years we know that this is a non issue. Do we contact our local Authority to seek confirmation that the buyers are looking for.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same illness)

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Alton?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Alton. 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 decided to have a survey done on a house in Alton before appointing solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. The surveyor advised that some lenders may refuse to give a mortgage on such a property.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different instructions for example to Halifax. Should you wish to telephone us we can investigate further with the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Alton. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Alton especially if they are familiar with such properties in Alton.

I am using a search engine for the words conveyancing in Alton it brings up many conveyancersin the vicinity. With so much choice what is the best way to find the suitable property lawyer for me?

The preferential method of seeking a suitable conveyancer is through a trusted referral, so ask friends and family who have acquired a property in Alton or a local estate agent or mortgage broker. Costs for conveyancing in Alton vary, so it's a good idea to secure at least three quotes from different property lawyers. Be sure to seek confirmation what costs in the quote includes.

Is it true that a Alton conveyancing solicitor taken to court by a client for failing to conduct the right conveyancing searches?

We are not aware of such a Alton conveyancing claim but it has been reported that, a couple buying a home elsewhere in England successfully won a claim against their solicitor as a consequence of development plans to construct a wind farm failing to be picked up in conveyancing searches.

Where you are purchasing in Alton It is essential that your solicitor conduct all Alton conveyancing searches necessary to ensure you have relevant and up to date information before acquiring a property.