Me and my wife are purchasing a ground floor flat in Catshill. My Solicitor is not on the bank solicitor panel. Am I still permitted to use my Catshill conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the lender list of approved lawyers?

Your options include

• Proceed with your existing Catshill conveyancing practitioner but your mortgage company will undoubtedly use a property lawyer from their conveyancing panel. The net result is additional cost together with probable frustration.
• Appoint a new solicitor to conduct the conveyancing, obviously checking they are on the lender conveyancing panel.
• Convince your solicitor to pull out all the stops to get listed on the bank’s panel of solicitors

When will exchange of contracts happen for residential conveyancing in Catshill and am I required to attend the conveyancers branch?

Where you are in close proximity to our conveyancing solicitors in Catshill you are invited in to sign contracts. However, the law practices we work with provide a countrywide conveyancing service and provide as equally detailed and professional a job for you when dealing with you by post or email. The executing of the contract is not the point of no return. A signed contract is just a prerequisite for the solicitor to officially exchange when the time is right, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The exchange process is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where an extended "chain" is involved, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Catshill)to be in the office at the appropriate time.

I have a 4 bedroom Victorian house in Catshill. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Clydesdale. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same property. Is it worth asking Clydesdale to clarify?

You should assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Catshill and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the conveyancing.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Catshill with a mortgage from Alliance & Leicester . The builders refused to budge the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not disclose to my conveyancer about this deal as it may adversely affect my mortgage with Alliance & Leicester . Should I keep quiet?.

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.

Are there frequently found problems that you encounter in leases for Catshill properties?

Leasehold conveyancing in Catshill is not unique. All leases are individual and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain clauses are wrong. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

A provision to repair to or maintain elements of the premises

You could encounter difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Halifax, The Royal Bank of Scotland, and TSB 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 withdraw.

Catshill Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should consider before buying

Generally speaking the cost for major works tend not to be included within maintenance charges, albeit that a few managing agents in Catshill require leasehold owners to pay into a sinking fund created for the specific intention of establishing a fund for larger repairs or maintenance. Be sure to find out if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. For example some leases prohibit pets being allowed in certain buildings in Catshill. If you love the flatin Catshill yet your dog is not allowed to make the move with you then you will be faced difficult compromise. This question is useful as a) areas could cause problems in the building as the common areas may begin to deteriorate if maintenance remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have an issue with the managing agents you will need to have all the details