A friend informed me that in buying a property in Poringland there may be a number of restrictions preventing external changes to a property. Is this right?

There are a number of properties in Poringland which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Poringland should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

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

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

I've digested plenty 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 Poringland solicitor - who is on the Principality conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Principality will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Principality 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 Poringland 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.

I'm buying a new build house in Poringland with a mortgage from Platform Home Loans Ltd. The developers would not move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The property agent suggested that I not inform my conveyancer about the extras as it would jeopardize my loan with the lender. Is this normal?.

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.

My father has recommend that I use his conveyancers in Poringland. Should I find my own solicitor?

No doubt the best way to select a conveyancing practitioner is to get referrals from friends or relatives who have actually experience in using the conveyancer you're contemplating using.

What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Poringland conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Poringland conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you speak with several firms including non Poringland conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be helpful:

If the firm is not ALEP accredited then why not?

I invested in buying a 1st floor flat in Poringland, conveyancing was carried out 9 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Poringland with an extended lease are worth £181,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease runs out on 21st October 2076

With only 51 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £30,400 and £35,200 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

I need to swap lawyers as my Poringland lawyer is not on the mortgage company's approved list of conveyancing solicitors. Is it practical to instruct different lawyers?

If you haven't yet instructed a solicitor to start work and at this stage simply received an estimate as to costs, you're perfectly free to choose a different solicitor to carry out your work for you. The best way is to get recommendations from friends or family who have actually used the solicitor or conveyancer in Poringland that you're considering.