Will our lawyer be asking questions concerning flooding as part of the conveyancing in Benfleet.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers dealing with homes in Benfleet. Some people will buy a house in Benfleet, fully expectant that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, adequate insurance cover, or dispose of the property. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Solicitors are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a number of searches that may be initiated by the buyer or by their solicitors which should give them a better understanding of the risks in Benfleet. The standard information supplied to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a standard question of the vendor to determine if the property has historically flooded. If the residence has been flooded in past which is not disclosed by the seller, then a buyer could commence a legal claim for losses stemming from an inaccurate reply. A purchaser’s conveyancers may also order an enviro report. This should disclose whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional investigations should be carried out.

I have recentlyfound out that Arc property Solicitors have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Benfleet for a purchase of a freehold house 9 months ago. How can I establish that the property is not still registered in the name of the previous owner?

The easiest way to see if the property is in your name, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Benfleet conveyancing specialists.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Benfleet with a loan from Bank of Ireland. The sellers would not reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative advised me not disclose to my lawyer about the deal as it would adversely affect my loan with the lender. Is this normal?.

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.

What tools are available to identify a Benfleet law firm on the Coventry Building Society conveyancing panel? I am a keen cyclist and am happy to travel upto 10miles to meet the conveyancer.

Feel free to make use of the tool on this page. Please choose the lender and your location and you will see a number of Benfleet conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have detailed some Benfleet conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can call them to see whether they are on the Coventry Building Society member panel

How do I find a Benfleet conveyancing solicitor on the mortgage company conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 20miles to meet the conveyancer.

Feel free to make use of the find a conveyancing panel search on this website. Please choose the lender and your location, in this case Benfleet and you will see a number of lawyer located nearest Benfleet. Alternatively you can type in the name of your proposed law firm and see if they are listed as being on the mortgage company solicitor panel.