We are buying a property and require a conveyancing solicitor in Stretton who is on the Bank of Ireland approved panel. Could you point me in the right direction as regards a firm?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Bank of Ireland . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Stretton.

Are all Stretton Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the RBS conveyancing list of approved solicitors?

A selection of lenders now make use of the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to remain on their approved list of firms.

We previously chose solicitors based in Stretton on the Lloyds solicitor panel. They are now charging me a supplemental amount for the legal aspects of the Lloyds mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Lloyds?

Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your conveyancing practitioner is entitled to levy a fee for this. This fee is not set by Lloyds but by your Stretton property lawyer. Numerous firms on the Lloyds panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but many firms include it on their overall fee.

We expect to receive a AIP from Leeds Building Society this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Leeds Building Society recommend any Stretton solicitors on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

You will need to appoint Stretton solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Leeds Building Society through the process.

I have a 4 bedroom Edwardian property in Stretton. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Yorkshire Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Stretton and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also check the situation with your conveyancing lawyer who completed the work.

I'm buying a new build house in Stretton with a loan from HSBC Bank. The builders refused to move on the price so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The estate agent suggested that I not reveal to my lawyer about this side-deal as it would affect my mortgage with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

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.

What makes a Stretton lease defective?

Leasehold conveyancing in Stretton is not unique. All leases are drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain provisions are missing. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

Insurance obligations Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the building

A defective lease can cause issues when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Lloyds TSB Bank, Leeds Building Society, and Britannia all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the buyer to withdraw.

Stretton Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should ask before buying

Many Stretton leasehold flats will be liable to pay a service charge for the upkeep of the block set on behalf of the landlord. Where you acquire the property you will have to meet this charge, usually quarterly accross the year. This can vary from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built buildings. There will also be a rentcharge to be met annual, normally this is not a large figure, say about £50-£100 but you need to check as occasionally it can be prohibitively expensive. Make sure you find out if the the lease includes any onerous restrictions in the lease. For example it is fairly common in Stretton leases that pets are not permitted in in a block in Stretton. If you love the apartmentin Stretton yet your cat is not allowed to move with you then you have a very hard choice. Where a Stretton lease has no more than 80 years it will impact the salability of the flat. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are content with residual term of the lease. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely need a lease extension at some point and it is worth discovering what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you would be be obliged to have been the owner of the residence for two years in order to be legally able to carry out a lease extension.