It is is a decade since I acquired my home in Colyton. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been appointed on the sale but I am unable to track down my title deeds. Will this cause complications?

You need not be too concerned. First the deeds may be retained by the lender or they may be in the possession of the lawyers who oversaw your purchase. Secondly in most cases the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Colyton involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.

My wife and I are purchasing a house in Colyton. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a lawyer? On completion day we will need to deposit our life savings 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.

Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Santander. Colyton conveyancing solicitors are selected. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Santander?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Santander conducted the valuation? Have you informed Santander as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Santander conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

I am due to exchange contracts on my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in June 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, TSB are being a right pain. The Colyton solicitor who is on the TSB conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but TSB are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do TSB have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that TSB have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why TSB may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

What will a local search tell me about the house I am purchasing in Colyton?

Colyton conveyancing often starts with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search organisations such as Onsearch The local search is essential in every Colyton conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any unpleasant once you have moved into your property. The search should provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic sections.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Colyton with a loan from National Westminster Bank. The sellers refused to budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The property agent advised me not inform my conveyancer about the deal as it would adversely affect my mortgage with the lender. Is this normal?.

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 to buy a flat and require a conveyancing solicitor in Colyton who is on the bank solicitor panel. Can you recommend a Colyton or local Colyton conveyancing firm?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for the lender who do conveyancing in Colyton. We dont recommend any particular conveyancing practice.