My brother-in-law has suggested I instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Chester. I need to find out if they are accepted on the Barclays Direct conveyancing panel. Could you help?

You should e-mail the lawyer and ask them whether they can act for the bank. Otherwise you can call Barclays Direct who may be able to assist.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Chester?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Chester. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I am purchasing a new build house in Chester with a loan from Nationwide Building Society. The developers would not reduce the price so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative suggested that I not reveal to my solicitor about this side-deal as it could jeopardize 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.

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to be perfect, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have just found out that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns buying a leasehold house in Chester. Conveyancing advisers have are about to be instructed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Chester are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Chester so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Chester conveyancing solicitor and check that they are used to transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the freeholder’spermission to conduct changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your solicitor will advise you fully on all the issues.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Chester - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

Are there any major works anticipated that will likely add a premium to the service fees? Please note if it is less than 80 years it will impact the marketability of the apartment. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are willing to lend given the lease term. A short lease means that you will probably require a lease extension at some point and you need to have some idea of what this will be. For most Chesterlease extensions you would be be obliged to have owned the property for a couple of years in order to be legally able to carry out a lease extension. The answer will be useful as a) areas can result in problems in the block as the communal areas may start to deteriorate if maintenance are not paid for b) if the leasehold owners have an issue with the managing agents you will wish to have full disclosure

I am due to review quotes for conveyancing in Chester from numerous conveyancer and choose one. Do I tell them to hold tight until I I have my bid accepted on a apartment.

We would recommend that you wait to request your lawyer to start work and apply for searches after the offer has been agreed to on the property particularly as Chester conveyancing searches are not cheap.