At what point can the exchange of contracts take place for domestic conveyancing in Bideford and do I need to be at the solicitors office?

If you are in close proximity to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Bideford you are welcome to come in to sign contracts. That being said, the firms we work with offer countrywide coverage for conveyancing and give as equally detailed and professional a job for you when dealing with you digitally. The executing of the contract is not the critical part. A signed contract is just a prerequisite for the conveyancer to address the formalities when the time is right, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The procedure is is usually a five minute process, although where a lengthy "chain" is involved, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Bideford)to be in the office at the appropriate time.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Bideford?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Bideford. 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 Bideford with the aid of help to buy. The builders would not budge the price so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The property agent told me not to tell my conveyancer about this extras as it would adversely affect my loan with the lender. Is this normal?.

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.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in Bideford I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 52 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Bideford for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?

Should you require a mortgage that many years will be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you could ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.

As a tenant I am liable for a service charge for my appartment in Bideford. As a result of personal circumstances I slipped into arrears with remittance. The management company agreed a clearance schedule but there is still in the region of £2000 remaining in arrears.

I am under pressure to dispose of the property and I am nervous that this may hold me back if I have to discharge the amount due first. Do I have to settle before - is this possible?

You should check with the property lawyer carrying out your Bideford conveyancing but it may be possible to arrange for the arrears to be passed to the purchasers. The final price due would be adjusted to reflect the amount of debt they assume. They could then deal with the outstanding monies after completion of the purchase.