My wife and I are downsizing from our home in New Romney and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. Any high street New Romney lawyer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the purchasers instructed a nationwide conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in New Romney. Having lived in New Romney for six years we know of no issue. Should we get in touch with our local Authority to seek clarification that there is no issue.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. What do they say? You need to check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same ailment)

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our property can not be found. The conveyancers who did the conveyancing in New Romney 5 years ago no longer exist. Will I be able to sell the house?

Nowadays there are copies made of almost everything, and your conveyancer will be aware exactly where to locate all the suitable documentation so you can purchase or dispose of your house without any difficulty. If duplicates can’t be found, your conveyancer may be able to arrange cover in the form of insurance or indemnities against possible claims on your premises.

I am purchasing a new build house in New Romney with a loan from . The sellers refused to move on the price so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The estate agent advised me not reveal to my conveyancer about this deal as it could jeopardize my loan with the lender. 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.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £305k and identified one near me in New Romney I like with amenity areas and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 51 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in New Romney for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?

Should you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be an issue. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.

I am looking for a conveyancing lawyer in New Romney for my home move. Can I check a firm’s record with the legal regulator?

Anyone can see documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations stemming from inquisitions commenced on or after 1 January 2008. Go to Check a solicitor's record. For information Pre 2008, or to check a firm's history, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For non-uk callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator could recorded call for training purposes.