I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Haverhill off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Nationwide. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Nationwide, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Nationwide conveyancing panel.

I've read lots of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Haverhill solicitor - who is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

Yorkshire BS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Yorkshire BS 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 Haverhill 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.

Lloyds have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a house in Haverhill has been agreed to, what happens next?

Your estate agent will wish to be informed of your conveyancing practitioner's details (be sure the conveyancers are on the bank’s panel). Telephone Lloyds or the financial adviser and finish off any outstanding documentation. Lloyds will sellect a valuer who will get in contact with the selling agent or owners to book an appointment. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes about ten days to receive the mortgage offer. Lloyds will send the offer to you and your lawyers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Haverhill.

I am purchasing a house and the lawyer has referenced Chancel Repair to which the property may be obligated to pay given it’s proximity to the area of such a church. She has suggested insurance. Is this strictly appropriate for conveyancing in Haverhill

Unless a previous acquisition of the property completed after 12 October 2013 you could assume that conveyancing practitioners conducting conveyancing in Haverhill to remain encouraging a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.

I'm buying my first flat in Haverhill with a mortgage from Godiva Mortgages Ltd. The developers would not move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep told me not disclose to my conveyancer about this deal as it could put at risk my mortgage with Godiva Mortgages Ltd. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £305k and identified one round the corner in Haverhill I like with amenity areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it's only got 49 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Haverhill suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

If you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

What are the common deficiencies that you witness in leases for Haverhill properties?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Haverhill. All leases are individual and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain sections are missing. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

Service charge per centages that don't add up correctly leaving a shortfall A duty to insure the building

You will have difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. National Westminster Bank, Virgin Money, and TSB all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the buyer to pull out.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Haverhill - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

Does the lease contain onerous restrictions? On the whole the outlay for major works tend not to be incorporated into the maintenance charges, although there some managing agents in Haverhill require tenants to pay into a sinking fund and this is used to offset against larger repairs or maintenance. It is important to be aware if a new roof is being put on or some other significant cost is coming up to be shared between the tenants and may well dramatically impact the level of the service costs or necessitate a one time invoice.