Do all mortgage companies provide you with an approved list of Cotswolds conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel?

Cotswolds conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Co-operative directly.

I am assisting my niece sell her property in Cotswolds. Will the conveyancer order an energy assessment or it is for me to coordinate?

After the abolition of HIPs, energy assessments remained a required element of selling a property. An energy performance certificate needs to be to hand before the property is advertised. It is not a task that solicitors ordinarily organise. Where you are using a Cotswolds conveyancing lawyer they might be able to arrange energy performance certificates given their relationships with long established local providers

I'm the sole beneficiary of my late father’s estate and I have everything in my name now, including the house in Cotswolds. The Cotswolds property was put into my name in June. I want to move. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders six month 'rule', which means that my property ownership may be regarded the same way as though I had purchased the house in June. Do I have to wait 6 months to sell?

The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook mandates conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you might be affected by that. How practical a view lenders take of it, depend on the bank as this clause primarily exists to identify the purchase and immediately sell or the quick reselling of property.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Cotswolds. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Santander be concerned?

Given that your lender is Santander your lawyer must follow the formal requirements set out in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Santander. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook stipulates minimum provisions for solar panel roof-space leases, and lawyers are required to report to Santander where a lease does not comply with these requirements. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not limited to Cotswolds.

I note that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Am I compelled to have this when purchasing a property in Cotswolds? or I am told that there is an ancient law that means some owners of property living in a parish church boundary may be liable to contribute towards repairs towards the chancel within the church. Is this suitable for conveyancing in Cotswolds?

Unless a prior purchase of the house took place post 12 October 2013 you can expect conveyancing practitioners handling conveyancing in Cotswolds to continue to propose a a chancel search and or chancel repair liability insurance.

I am buying a new build house in Cotswolds benefiting from help to buy. The builders would not move on the price so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The estate agent advised me not disclose to my solicitor about the deal as it would jeopardize my mortgage with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

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 in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Cotswolds. Before I get started I would like to find out the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in Cotswolds - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Cotswolds - Examples of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

On the whole the cost for major works tend not to be incorporated into the maintenance charges, although a few managing agents in Cotswolds obliged tenants to contribute towards a sinking fund created for the specific purpose of establishing a fund for major repairs or maintenance. What is the the remaining lease term? It would be sensible to find out as much as possible concerning the managing agents as they will affect your use and enjoyment of the property. Being a leasehold owner you are frequently in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to daily issues like the tidiness of the communal areas. You should not be afraid to ask other people what they think of their management. On a final note, find out the dates that the service fees are due to the managing agents and precisely what it includes.