What does a local search tell me about the property we're purchasing in Corfe Castle?

Corfe Castle conveyancing often commences with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search organisations such as PSG The local search is essential in every Corfe Castle conveyancing purchase; that is if you wish to avoid any nasty surprises after you move into your property. The search should provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable 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 13 topic areas.

My wife and I own a 4 bedroom Victorian house in Corfe Castle. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Skipton Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Corfe Castle and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the work.

I'm buying a new build house in Corfe Castle with a loan from HSBC Bank. The sellers would not budge the amount so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The estate agent advised me not disclose to my conveyancer about this deal as it could impact my mortgage 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 am looking for a conveyancing practitioner in Corfe Castle for my house move. Is there any facility to see a firm’s record with the legal regulator?

One can see published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations stemming from investigations from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find information about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors record, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For callers outside the UK, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA may recorded call for training purposes.

My partner and I are purchasing a first floor flat in Corfe Castle. When we first instructed conveyancer, they assured us that they were on all major UK lender panels. The financial adviser called yesterday to say that they don't appear to be on the Nottingham approved list. Should that be true, what should we do? Should we simply find a new property lawyer that is on their approved list or should we pay for dual representation, with Nottingham selecting their own preferred lawyer.

Where you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is normal for the purchaser’s solicitors to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a property lawyer has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the lawyer to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the solicitor has to fulfill. Some building societies now require their panel firms to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your property lawyer should call Nottingham and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on Nottingham's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Corfe Castle solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.