I am assisting my aunt sell her property in Essington. Will the conveyancing solicitor order an energy assessment or should I organise this?

After the demise of Home Information Packs, energy performance certificates remained a required element of moving property. An energy assessment must be to hand prior to the property being placed on the market. It is not as aspect of the sale process that lawyers ordinarily arrange. If you are using a Essington conveyancing solicitor they might be able to arrange EPC’s given their relationships with reputable local assessors

My father advised me that in buying a property in Essington there could be a number of restrictions prohibiting external changes to the property. Is this right?

There are a number of properties in Essington which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to perform external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Essington should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

I am purchasing a terrace house in Essington. The intention is to carry out an extension to the side at the property.Will legal investigations on the property involve investigations to ascertain if these works are permitted?

Your conveyancer should review the deeds as conveyancing in Essington can occasionally identify restrictions in the title deeds which restrict categories of works or need the consent of another owner. Many extensions require local authority planning permissions and approval in compliance with building regulations. Some locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. It would be wise to check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

Various online forums that I have come across warn that are the main reason for stalling in Essington house deals. Is this right?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the common causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Local searches are unlikely to be the root cause of delay in conveyancing in Essington.

Just acquired a detached house in Essington , What is the estimated time for the Land Registry to record the transfer to my name? My Essington conveyancing solicitor works at snail pace, so I want to be certain the land registry aspects are addressed.

As far as conveyancing in Essington registration is no quicker or slower than anywhere else in the country. Rather than based on location, timeframes can adjust according to who lodges the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry must send notices to any third persons or bodies. At present approximately three quarters of such applications are fully addressed in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be extensive hold-ups. Historically registration takes place after the new owner is living at the property thus 'speed' is not usually primary concern but where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your solicitor can communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for the application to be prioritised.

I'm buying my first flat in Essington with a mortgage from Lloyds TSB Bank. The builders would not reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The property agent suggested that I not to tell my conveyancer about the deal as it would 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.

My offer on detached house in Essington has been agreed to, but there is a chain. The current proprietors have offered on a property, but it’s not yet agreed to, and are looking at other apartments in the pipeline. I have instructed a local conveyancing solicitor in Essington. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with Coventry BS started with Coventry BS?

It is usual to have apprehensions where there is a chain given your reluctance to incur costs too early (mortgage application is approx one thousand pounds, then survey, Essington conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you should ensure that your conveyancing practitioner is on the Coventry BS approved list. As to the subsequent phase this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your case, desire for the property and on the state of the market. During a rising market the majority of buyers would apply for a home loan with Coventry BS and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their solicitor to press on with searches.