I am purchasing a property mortgage free in Bedford Hill. I have resided for the previous twelve years in Bedford Hill. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. As I know the road and vicinity very well should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?

Provided that you do not need a home loan, then almost all of the Bedford Hill conveyancing searches are non-obligatory. Your conveyancer will 'advise', perhaps strongly, that you should have searches completed, but she has a professional duty to do this. One thing to consider; if you are going to sell the house at a future date, it will be of importance to your prospective purchaser what the searches reveal. On occasion properties with apparent issues can still show up negative search results. A competent conveyancing solicitor in Bedford Hill should provide you some sensible guidance here.

What is the difference between a licensed conveyancer and conveyancing solicitor in Bedford Hill

There are two types of lawyers who can perform conveyancing in Bedford Hill namely CLC regulated conveyancers or solicitors. Both professionals handle conveyancing services that required to complete the sale or acquisition of property. They are both obliged to conduct Bedford Hill conveyancing on similar quality and guidelines so you may be safe in the knowledge that your conveyancing will be professionally administered and that the necessary steps should be accurately attended to.

Is there a list of Bank of Ireland panel conveyancers in Bedford Hill on the Building Society Association’s Website?

No. There is no such facility on the CML or Building Society Association websites. Very few banks make their panel listings open the public over the internet. Where you are looking for a Bedford Hill property lawyer on the Bank of Ireland please make the most of our tool.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Kent Reliance. I assume I don't need a Bedford Hill property lawyer on the Kent Reliance panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Kent Reliance mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Kent Reliance mortgage from the register. Kent Reliance, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Kent Reliance has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Kent Reliance has instructed the Land Registry to do so

My colleague suggested that if I am buying in Bedford Hill I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

A search of this type is usually quoted for as part of the standard Bedford Hill conveyancing searches. It is a large document of about 40 pages, listing and setting out important information about Bedford Hill around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Bedford Hill Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Bedford Hill Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Bedford Hill.

I am buying a new build house in Bedford Hill with the aid of help to buy. The developers refused to reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The property agent advised me not to tell my solicitor about this side-deal as it may impact 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've recently bought a leasehold flat in Bedford Hill. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Following months of negotiations we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Bedford Hill. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Bedford Hill conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Bedford Hill premises is First Floor Flat 152a Ramsden Road in June 2009. The net result of the tribunals calculation produced a premium payable of £23,975. This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired term was 56.67 years.