We had instructed conveyancers with offices in Plymstock on the Yorkshire BS solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me a supplemental fee for dealing with the Yorkshire BS mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Yorkshire BS?

Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your conveyancer may levy a fee for this. The fee is not dictated by Yorkshire BS but by your Plymstock conveyancing practitioner. Numerous firms on the Yorkshire BS panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Nationwide. Plymstock conveyancing lawyers have been instructed. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Nationwide?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have Nationwide completed the survey? Have you informed Nationwide as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Nationwide conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

I was told four weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Nottingham. Is it usual for Nottingham to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Plymstock is approved on their conveyancing panel? Nottingham have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance Schedule.

A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Nottingham to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Plymstock?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Plymstock. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I am purchasing my first flat in Plymstock with the aid of help to buy. The developers would not budge the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative told me not disclose to my conveyancer about this side-deal as it could put at risk my loan with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

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.

I've recently bought a leasehold house in Plymstock. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?

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. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure 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).

Leasehold Conveyancing in Plymstock - Sample of Queries Prior to buying

Who are the managing agents? The answer will be helpful as a) areas could result in problems for the block as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate where repairs are not paid for b) if the tenants have an issue with the managing agents you will want to have all the details Does this lease have in excess of 80 years left?

A licensed conveyancer dealt with my conveyancing in Plymstock half a dozen years ago and was holding my title documents but has since been shut down – What can I do to get hold of these?

Title deeds, as such, no longer exist as the majority of properties in Plymstock are archived electronically at Land Registry. Where you need to show ownership or are selling or refinancing your lawyer can obtain up to date copies of the register from the Land Registry in any case.

If you feel there may be other documents or you have any other queries please e-mail your request with details of the transaction and documents you need to filerequest@clc-uk.org. The CLC will let you know what information they have and any additional information they may need before they are in a position to identify and send the documents to you. Following an intervention it may take some time for the CLC to access archived files and documents, but your request will be actioned with reasonable haste.