What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Bruton? Why is this being asked of me?

To satisfy the Money Laundering Regulations any Bruton conveyancing firm will require proof of identity in all conveyancing transactions. This is normally satisfied by provision of a passport and an original bank statement or utility bill evidencing your correct address.

In accordance with Money Laundering Regulations, conveyancing solicitors are obliged by law to ascertain not just the identity of conveyancing clients but also the source of monies that they receive in respect of any matter. An unwillingness to disclose this may result in your lawyer cancelling their relationship with you, as clearly this will cause a conflict between the set Regulations and a refusal to disclose.

Your property lawyers will have an obligation to make a disclosure to the appropriate authorities should they believe that any monies received by them may contravene the Money Laundering Regulations.

My wife and I are buying a flat in Bruton. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a solicitor? At some point we have to put our life savings into their account. What protection do 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.

If you had a top tip for selecting a conveyancing solicitor in Bruton what would it be?

Do not opt for the lowest Bruton conveyancing fees. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

I am selling my house. I had a double glazing fitted in June 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, Skipton are being pedantic. The Bruton solicitor who is on the Skipton conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but Skipton are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Skipton have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Skipton have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Skipton may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

What does commercial conveyancing in Bruton cover?

Bruton conveyancing for business premises covers a broad range of advice, provided by regulated solicitors, relating to business property. For instance, this type of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more commonly, the transfer of existing leases or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial mortgages and the termination of leases.

Harry (my fiance) and I may need to sub-let our Bruton ground floor flat temporarily due to a new job. We used a Bruton conveyancing practice in 2001 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to get any advice as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

Some leases for properties in Bruton do contain a provision to say that subletting is only permitted with prior consent from the landlord. The landlord is not entitled to unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to see references. Experience suggests that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting consent.

Bruton Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing

Who manages the building? Best to be warned whether redecorating or some other significant cost is due in the foreseeable future that will be shared between the tenants and may well materially increase the the maintenance charges or necessitate a specific payment. Is anyone aware of any major works in the planning that will likely add a premium to the maintenance costs?

We are midway through purchasing a house in Bruton. Conveyancing solicitor has told us the property is "Leasehold". Will this likely make a difference on our Halifax valuation?

Bruton conveyancing does not ordinarily involve leasehold houses. The main factor here is the length of lease and the ground rent. If there are over a hundred years remaining with a peppercorn rent, it's essentially freehold, so it shouldn't impact the marketability significantly.

On the flip side, if it's, say, Sixty years it is bound to have a material effect on the value, and probably wouldn't be acceptable to the lender. The remaining lease term and ground rent will be set out in the lease to be supplied to your conveyancing practitioner.