We are purchasing a house in Walham Green. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a solicitor? On the day of competition we will need to send money into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our money?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

is it true that all Walham Green solicitor firms on the conveyancing panel are overseen by the SRA?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. The majority of banks do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the organisation would be regulated by the CLC.

Intending to buy a house in Walham Green. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Walham Green is on the conveyancing panel.

We are intent on selling our property in Walham Green and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was constructed land that was not decontaminated. A local lawyer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers are using a nationwide conveyancing practice rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Walham Green. We have lived in Walham Green for 4 years we know that this is a non issue. Should we contact our local Authority to seek confirmation that the buyers are looking for.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? 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 illness)

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

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Walham Green. 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'm buying my first flat in Walham Green with the aid of help to buy. The sellers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep told me not disclose to my conveyancer about this deal as it would affect 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.

I am looking for a flat up to £235,500 and found one close by in Walham Green I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, however it only has 61 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Walham Green in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?

Should you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be problematic. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for at least 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.