Can I use your services to locate a Conveyancing solicitor in Greenfield even if I’m not buying or disposing of a house, for example where I intend to acquire a shop in Greenfield with a mortgage from Alliance & Leicester ?

The service is primarily used to help choose residential conveyancing solicitors in Greenfield but we have recorded towards the bottom of this page some Greenfield commercial conveyancing firms. You will need to make contact with the solicitors directly to establish if they are also authorised to represent Alliance & Leicester

The Greenfield conveyancing lawyers that just started acting on my house acquisition in Greenfield have suddenly closed. They were on acting for me because I had to have a solicitor on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel and my preferred Greenfield lawyer was not. I cut them a cheque for two hundred pounds in advance. What should be my next steps?

If you have an estate agent involved then let them know immediately so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers may be able to help.

I am purchasing my first flat in Greenfield benefiting from help to buy. The developers refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The estate agent told me not disclose to my lawyer about the extras as it could affect my loan with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

Am I best advised to use a Greenfield conveyancing lawyer in close proximity to the house I am purchasing? I have an old university friend who can conduct the legal formalities however her office is approximately 350miles drive away.

The primary upside of using a local Greenfield conveyancing practice is that you can attend the office to execute paperwork, hand in your ID and apply pressure on them where appropriate. They will also have local knowledge which is a benefit. However it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If other friends have instructed your friend and on the whole were impressed that should surpass using an unfamiliar Greenfield conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being Greenfield based.

I've recently bought a leasehold property in Greenfield. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Greenfield Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should ask before buying

How much is the ground rent and service charge? Who are the managing agents?