What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Great Yarmouth? Why is this being asked of me?

To satisfy the Money Laundering Regulations any Great Yarmouth conveyancing firm will require evidence of your identity in all conveyancing matters. This is normally dealt with by provision of a passport and an original bank statement or utility account evidencing your correct address.

Under Money Laundering Regulations, property lawyers are obliged by law to validate not simply the ID of conveyancing clients but also the source of the money that they receive in respect of any matter. Refusal to disclose this will result in your conveyancer ending their relationship with you, as clearly this will cause a conflict between the set Regulations and a refusal to disclose.

Your conveyancers are duty bound to notify the appropriate authorities should they believe that any amounts received by them may contravene the Money Laundering Regulations.

Can I be sure that the Great Yarmouth conveyancing solicitor on the Nottingham panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Great Yarmouth obtaining recommendations is a good starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always advocate that you speak with the lawyer handling your transaction.

My fiancee and I are at the point of viewing houses in Great Yarmouth and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it advisable to have my lawyer on ‘stand by’? I intend to finance via a home loan with Co-operative.

It would be wise to start your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the estate agent. Given that you are getting a mortgage with Co-operative, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

I have instructed a Great Yarmouth solicitor having made sure that they are on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Nottingham will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Nottingham will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Great Yarmouth surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

My relative recommended that where I am purchasing in Great Yarmouth I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is usually included in the estimate for your Great Yarmouth conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about Great Yarmouth around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Great Yarmouth Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Great Yarmouth.

Am I right to be wary about brokers that I am dealing with are recommending a nationwide conveyancing firm rather than a local Great Yarmouth conveyancing company?

As with many professional services, often recommendations from relatives can be extremely useful or valuable. But there are many people with a vested interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and mortgage companies might all suggest conveyancers to select. Sometimes the conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but occasionally there may be a commercial relationship behind the endorsement. You have the right to choose your own conveyancer. You need to be aware that most banks specify a panel list of lawyers you must use for the mortgage related work in your conveyancing.

In my capacity as executor for the estate of my uncle I am selling a residence in Swansea but I am based in Great Yarmouth. My lawyer (who is 235 miles from meneeds me to sign a stat dec ahead of the transaction finalising. Can you recommend a conveyancing solicitor in Great Yarmouth who can witness and place their company stamp on the document?

Technically speaking you should not need to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily any notary public or solicitor will do regardless of whether they are Great Yarmouth based