I am being advised by my conveyancer that restrictive coveneant insurance is necessary on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Burford conveyancing?

The appropriate level of restrictive coveneant indemnity insurance depends on your lender. It would differ for example between Lloyds TSB Bank and The Royal Bank of Scotland. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to members of the public take out such policies.

How can we know in advance if a Burford conveyancing solicitor on the Co-operative panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Burford seeking recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always advise that you speak with the lawyer conducting your conveyancing.

I have instructed a Burford lawyer having checked that they are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Aldermore will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Aldermore 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 Burford 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 am downsizing from our home in Burford and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being built land that was not decontaminated. Any local lawyer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the buyers used a factory type conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Burford. We have lived in Burford for 5 years we know of no issue. Do we contact our local Authority to seek clarification need.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm already. 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)

I am buying my first flat in Burford with a mortgage from Aldermore. The sellers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The estate agent told me not to tell my solicitor about this deal as it would jeopardize 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.

I decided to have a survey done on a property in Burford ahead of retaining lawyers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. The surveyor advised that some lenders may not grant a loan on a flying freehold house.

It varies from the lender to lender. Bank of Scotland has different requirements for example to Nationwide. If you call us we can check with the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Burford. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

I need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Burford for my home move. Can I see a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?

Members of the public can find presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions arising from inquisitions from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. For details about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a firm's record, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. International callers, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator may monitor call for training purposes.