The sellers of the home we are purchasing are using a conveyancing practitioner in Blandford Forum who has insisted on a preliminary contract with a down payment of 5k. Is it wise to enter into such agreements?

There are two primary concerns with signing a lock out agreement (occasionally known as a shut-out contract) is that it diverts attention away from making progress with the conveyancing transaction itself, so unless it requires limited or no negotiation then it could transpire to be a cause of frustration and delay. It is not strongly advocated by Blandford Forum conveyancing lawyers for this reason. A further negative is the extent of the remedies available - an aggrieved buyer is not likely to secure an injunctive ruling by a court to prevent the seller selling to an alternative purchaser, so the only remedy available under the contract will be the recovery of abortive costs and, in rare circumstances, the extra payment of penalties.

My bid for a property was accepted at auction in Blandford Forum. Conveyancing is required. What happens now?

Now that you have for in every practical sense signed on the dotted line you now have to instruct a conveyancing practitioner quickly as you now have a tight a fixed date to complete the deal. Every auction property will have an associated auction pack. This will include evidence of title and search results. Where you are dealing with leasehold premises the legal pack may provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing documentation relating to leasehold premises. You need to pass this on to your appointed conveyancing solicitor as soon as possible. You also need to ensure that that you have the requisite funding organised to complete the transaction on the set completion date.

My uncle advised me that in buying a property in Blandford Forum there could be a number of restrictions preventing external changes to a property. Is this right?

There are a number of properties in Blandford Forum which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to perform external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Blandford Forum should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Blandford Forum. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I would like to complain about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?

All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.

I'm buying my first flat in Blandford Forum with a loan from Platform Home Loans Ltd. The developers refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative suggested that I not reveal to my lawyer about the side-deal as it could jeopardize my loan 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.

I am looking for a flat up to £235,500 and found one close by in Blandford Forum I like with open areas and transport links nearby, however it only has 49 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Blandford Forum for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?

If you need a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you may ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.

Taking into account that I will soon spend over three hundred thousand on 3 bedroom house in Blandford Forum I wish to have a conversation with the lawyer concerning thetransaction before instructing the firm. Can this be arranged?

We could not agree more - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the lawyer who will be doing your conveyancing in Blandford Forum.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is unique individual, not a matter number. The law firms that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are calculated and presented to you for residential conveyancing in Blandford Forum should be the figure that you end up paying.