We are purchasing a newly constructed duplex in Balham and my solicitor is telling me that she is duty bound to the mortgage company to disclose incentives from the seller. I am on a tight deadline to exchange and my preference is not to delay deal. is my lawyer playing by the book?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your . A precondition to being on a mortgage company panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

We are selling our flat in Balham. Does my need to be required to be on the conveyancing panel in order to deal with the discharge of my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their panel criteria fairly frequently at the moment.

I am assisting my sister sell her property in Balham. Will the conveyancing solicitor commission an EPC or do I organise this?

Following the abolition of Home Information Packs, energy assessments was retained a compulsory part of moving property. An energy assessment needs to be commissioned before the property is marketed. It is not something that law firms ordinarily organise. If you are instructing a Balham conveyancing practitioner they might be able to arrange EPC’s due to their relationships with long established Balham accredited person

I am planning to move house in . Should my conveyancing solicitor communicate with the removal company on the day of completion. On a separate note, can you recommend a removal company in Balham. Conveyancing solicitor was chosen prior to coming across your website.

On the afternoon of completion you will need to collect the keys from your estate agent however this can only take place after the previous owners lawyers advise the agent that they acknowledge receipt of the completion payment and the keys can be passed over. After that you should inform the removal company that they can start moving you in. As a matter of policy we do not recommend a particular removal company but can assist you in locating a conveyancing in Balham or a firm that specialises in conveyancing in Balham.

I have instructed a Balham having made sure that they are on the conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually 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 Balham 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.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Balham with the aid of help to buy. The sellers would not move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep advised me not reveal to my lawyer about the extras as it may affect my mortgage with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I have offered on two weeks back in what should have been a simple, no chain conveyancing. Balham is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Balham are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Balham you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Balham may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.