We are purchasing a property in Grantham. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a lawyer? On the day of competition we will need to put money into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our deposit?

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.

We are getting the release of further funds on our home loan from Lloyds as we intend to conduct improvements to our home in Grantham. Are we obliged to choose a bricks and mortar Grantham solicitor on the Lloyds conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?

Lloyds would not normally instruct firms on their conveyancing panel to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Lloyds conveyancing panel.

Planning on purchasing a apartment in Grantham. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Grantham conveyancing practitioner is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel.

What does a local search reveal about the property my wife and I buying in Grantham?

Grantham conveyancing often commences with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search company for example PSG The local search is essential in every Grantham conveyancing purchase; as long as you wish to avoid any unpleasant once you have moved into your property. The search should reveal information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the premises (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 headings.

How does conveyancing in Grantham differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Grantham come to us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is completed. This is because house builders in Grantham typically acquire the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Grantham or who has acted in the same development.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £245,000 and found one close by in Grantham I like with a park and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 49 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Grantham for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?

If you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you may ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this.

I pay a service charge for my ground floor flat in Grantham. Due to redundancy and other issues I slipped behind with payments. I negotiated a settlement plan but there remains about £2000 remaining in arrears.

I now wish to sell and I am panicking this will hold me back if I have to discharge the arrears in advance. I'd like to sell up and subsequently pay them back with the completion monies - is this achievable?

Your property lawyer should be in a position to negotiate with the management company, with a new to seeing if they would accept payment out of the completion monies. This is an example of why it might be good to use a property lawyer in Grantham as they are likely to enjoy an established relationship with the parties.