As someone clueless as to conveyancing in Shepton Mallet what is your top tip you can impart concerning the legal transfer of property in Shepton Mallet

Not many law firms or advisers will tell you this but conveyancing in Shepton Mallet and elsewhere in England and Wales is often a confrontational process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is plenty of opportunity for conflict between you and other parties involved in the legal transfer of property. For example, the seller, selling agent and on occasion the lender. Appointing a law firm for your conveyancing in Shepton Mallet is a critical decision as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the SOLE party in the transaction whose responsibility is to act in your legal interests and to protect you.

Sometimes a potential adversary will attempt to convince you that it is in your interests to do things their way. For example, the estate agent may claim to be helping by suggesting your conveyancer is slow. Or your mortgage broker may tell you to do take action that is contrary to your solicitors recommendation. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties when it comes to the legal transfer of property.

Should my solicitor be making enquiries about flooding during the conveyancing in Shepton Mallet.

Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers dealing with homes in Shepton Mallet. There are those who buy a house in Shepton Mallet, fully expectant that at some time, it may be flooded. However, aside from the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable insurance cover, or sell the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.

Conveyancers are not best placed to give advice on flood risk, but there are a various checks that can be initiated by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which can give them a better understanding of the risks in Shepton Mallet. The conventional set of information supplied to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a usual question of the owner to discover if the property has suffered from flooding. If the property has been flooded in past and is not notified by the seller, then a buyer could issue a legal claim for losses stemming from an incorrect response. A buyer’s solicitors will also commission an enviro report. This will reveal if there is any known flood risk. If so, further investigations should be initiated.

I used Stirling Law several years ago for my conveyancing in Shepton Mallet. I now require my file however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Shepton Mallet of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I am buying my first flat in Shepton Mallet with a loan from Skipton Building Society. The builders would not budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent told me not to tell my conveyancer about this side-deal as it will impact 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.

Is it simple use the search facility to locate a conveyancing solicitor in Shepton Mallet on the authorised to act for my bank?

First choose a mortgage company such as Halifax, Virgin Money or Barclays Direct then choose your location for instance Shepton Mallet. Conveyancing organisations in Shepton Mallet and further afield will then be identified.