Me and my partner are soon to exchange on the purchase of a house in Bulls Cross but as a consequence of damage from some water damage at the property I have was able negotiate recompense from the seller of £3k by way of a deduction in the price. I had intended this to be dealt with as part of a side agreement however Coventry BS are not allowing this. Why were they informed?

Your property lawyer that is on a Coventry BS conveyancing panel is required to inform Coventry BS of any changes to the purchase price. If you were to refuse your lawyer to disclose the price change to Coventry BS then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Coventry BS and you would have to appoint a new conveyancer for your conveyancing in Bulls Cross.

We are buying a property in Bulls Cross. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a conveyancer? On completion day we will need to deposit money into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our money?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

We previously chose conveyancers located in Bulls Cross on the Clydesdale solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me an additional amount for handling the Clydesdale mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Clydesdale?

Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your conveyancer can levy a fee for this. The charge is not set by Clydesdale but by your Bulls Cross property lawyer. Numerous firms on the Clydesdale panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but many firms include it on their overall fee.

I am purchasing a property in Bulls Cross. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Co-operative have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Co-operative your lawyer must comply with the formal instructions contained in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Co-operative. The CML Handbook stipulates minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Co-operative where a lease fails to meet these provisions. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not isolated to Bulls Cross.

Do I need to be suspicious by third parties that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use a factory type conveyancing firm as opposed to a High Street Bulls Cross conveyancing firm?

As with many service providers, often referrals from family and friends can be extremely useful or valuable. Nevertheless there are many players in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and banks may suggest conveyancers to appoint. On occasion the solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but sometimes there might be a financial incentive behind the endorsement. You are free to appoint your preferred lawyer. You need to be aware that most mortgage providers specify a panel list of lawyers you have to use for the mortgage related work in your house move.

I own a garden flat in Bulls Cross. In the absence of agreement between myself and the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the amount payable for the purchase of the freehold?

Where there is a missing freeholder or where there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant legislation you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to calculate the premium.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Bulls Cross flat is First Floor Flat 109 Lyndhurst Road in May 2010. Following a vesting order by Edmonton County Court on 29th October 2009 the Tribunal decided on a figure of £5,012 for a lease extension. This case affected 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 81.79 years.

What are the frequently found defects that you see in leases for Bulls Cross properties?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Bulls Cross. Most leases are drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain provisions are wrong. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the building

A defective lease will likely cause problems when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Nationwide Building Society, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society, and Godiva Mortgages Ltd all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the buyer to withdraw.

Our offer on detached house in Bulls Cross has been agreed to, but there is a chain. The owners have submitted an offer on a flat, although it’s not yet agreed to, and has viewings of other properties in the pipeline. I have chosen a local conveyancing solicitor in Bulls Cross. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with Barclays going with Barclays?

It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (home loan application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then valuation, Bulls Cross conveyancing search charges, etc). The first thing to do is ensure that your lawyer is on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Regarding the next phase this very much dictated by the specifics of your transaction, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a hot market many home buyers would apply for the mortgage with Barclays and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their lawyer to move forward with searches.