I am buying a newly built flat in Clifton Village and my lawyer is advising me that she has to the bank to reveal incentives from the seller. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to sign contracts and I don't want to prolong deal. Is my lawyer right?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your property lawyer. A precondition to being on a mortgage company panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

I am being advised by my lawyer that chancel insurance is necessary on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Clifton Village?

The right level of chancel indemnity insurance should be dictated by who your lender. It would differ for example between Barclays and Bank of Scotland. Conveyancing lawyers as opposed to members of the public take out such policies.

Is there a list of Clydesdale panel solicitors in Clifton Village on the Council of Mortgage Lender’s Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such tool on the CML or Building Society Association websites. Very few lenders make their panel listings visible on the web. Where you are seeking to appoint a Clifton Village solicitor on the Clydesdale please make the most of our tool.

It is unclear whether my lender obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called into my local Clifton Village building society branch on a couple of occasions and was told it does not impact the mortgage offer and they will lend. My Clifton Village conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- called and was told they will not lend based on their published requirements. Who do I believe?

Provided that the property lawyer is on the bank panel, she or he must adhere to the CML Handbook conditions for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the lender will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

I used Action Conveyancing a few years past for my conveyancing in Clifton Village. I now require my file however the law firm has closed. What do I do?

Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Clifton Village of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I am looking into buying my first house which is in Clifton Village and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Clifton Village. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Clifton Village area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Clifton Village. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

Are the Clifton Village conveyancing lawyers identified as being on the bank conveyancing panel, together with their details provided by the lender?

Clifton Village firms and firms conducting conveyancing in Clifton Village themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the bank conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from the mortgage company directly.