Me and my partner are purchasing a 2 bedroom apartment in Bakewell with a mortgage. We like our Bakewell lawyer, however the lender advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel firms or continue with our Bakewell solicitor and pay for one of their panel lawyers to represent them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Bakewell conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

What is the first thing I need to know concerning purchase conveyancing in Bakewell?

Not many law firms or advisers will tell you this but conveyancing in Bakewell and elsewhere in England and Wales is often a confrontational process. In other words, when it comes to conveyancing there is plenty of opportunity for conflict between you and others involved in the legal transfer of property. For example, the vendor, estate agent and sometimes your bank. Selecting a lawyer for your conveyancing in Bakewell an important selection as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the SOLE person in the legal process whose responsibility is to act in your legal interests and to keep you safe.

Sometimes a third party with a vested interest may try and convince you that it is in your interests to do things their way. For example, the property agent may claim to be assisting by claiming that your conveyancer is dragging his heels. Or your financial adviser may try to convince you to do take action that is contrary to your lawyers advice. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties when it comes to the legal transfer of property.

I am purchasing a new build house in Bakewell with a mortgage from National Westminster Bank. The developers would not move on the amount so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The estate agent advised me not inform my conveyancer about the extras as it may affect 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.

I am looking into buying my first house which is in Bakewell and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Bakewell. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Bakewell area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Bakewell. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

What makes a Bakewell lease problematic?

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

A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.

You may have a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. HSBC Bank, Barnsley Building Society, and Nottingham Building Society all have express requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is problematic they may refuse to provide security, forcing the buyer to pull out.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Bakewell - A selection of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

You should be aware if it is no more than eighty years it will impact the marketability of the property. It is worth checking with your bank that they are happy with remaining years on the lease. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of how much this would cost. For most Bakewelllease extensions you would be required to have been the owner of the property for two years before you are entitled to extend the lease. Its a good idea to find out as much as possible about the managing agents as they can either make life much simpler or a lot more difficult. As the proprietor of a leasehold property you are frequently at the mercy of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to daily matters like the tidiness of the communal areas. Enquire of other tenants what they think of them. On a final note, investigate as to the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the managing agents and precisely how they are spending the funds. Is anyone aware of any major works in the planning that will likely add a premium to the maintenance fees?