Should conveyancers request money up-front when it comes to conveyancing in york?

Where you are retaining lawyers for conveyancing in york your lawyer will request that you to provide them with funds to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. Generally this is needed to cover the fees of the conveyancing searches. When the down payment is as part of the sale price then this will be required shortly ahead of contracts are exchanged. The closing balance that is due will be payable a couple of days ahead of the completion date.

My partner and I are selling our home in york and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being built land that was not decontaminated. A high street york conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers instructed a nationwide conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in york. We have lived in york for 5 years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to seek confirmation that there is no issue.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. What do they say? You should enquire of 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)

I am purchasing a new build house in york with a loan from Aldermore. The sellers refused to budge the amount so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The estate agent advised me not reveal to my conveyancer about the deal as it could jeopardize my mortgage with Aldermore. 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.

I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and identified one round the corner in york I like with amenity areas and station in the vicinity, however it only has 49 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in york for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?

If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will be problematic. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you can request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.

At what stage do I pay stamp duty due for my house transaction in york?

The majority of lawyers tend to complete a stamp duty return for you as part of your york conveyancing transaction for signature. After completion your lawyer will submit your STL Return Form to the Inland Revenue and - assuming they have the money - pay any Stamp Duty payable on your behalf.