We were just about to sign contracts for a freehold house in Crystal Palace. We have hit a stumbling block. Our mortgage offer with Clydesdale runs out on 19/1/2026 but the owners are suggesting a completion date of 21/1/2026. Is it possible to prolong the loan expiry date?

The person best placed to address this concern is your solicitors who should calculate if he or she is corresponding with the bank, owner’s solicitors, selling agents or conceivably all three based on what has gone on in your conveyancing as of today.

I'm the single recipient of my late mum's will with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Crystal Palace. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in October. I want to move. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', meaning my proprietorship could be regarded the same way as if I'd bought the house in October. Do I have to wait half a year to sell?

The CML handbook mandates solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you could be affected by that. Some lenders would take a sensible view as this provision is primarily there to capture the purchase and immediately sell or the quick reselling of property.

Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Aldermore. Crystal Palace conveyancing practitioners have been selected. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Aldermore?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have Aldermore done the valuation? Have you informed Aldermore as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Crystal Palace. My mortgage broker suggested a solicitor. I paid an upfront payment of £150. Shortly after, the solicitor called me to say that they were not on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Lloyds panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I have justfound out that Action Conveyancing have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Crystal Palace for a purchase of a leasehold flat 12 months ago. How can I establish that my home is registered correctly in the name of the previous owner?

The quickest way to check if the property is in your name, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Crystal Palace conveyancing specialists.

I am purchasing a new build house in Crystal Palace with the aid of help to buy. The builders refused to budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The sale representative advised me not inform my solicitor about the side-deal as it will put at risk my loan with the lender. 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.

We're FTB’s - had an offer accepted, yet the selling agent has warned us that the vendor will only issue a contract if we appoint their recommended conveyancers as they need an ‘expedited deal’. We would rather use a local solicitor used to conveyancing in Crystal Palace

It is highly unlikely the sellers are behind this. If they require ‘a quick sale', turning down a genuine buyer is is going to put the whole deal at risk. Avoid the agents and go straight to the owners and make sure they understand (a)you are genuine buyers (b)you are ready to progress, with mortgage lined up © you have nothing to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you are going to instruct your own,trusted Crystal Palace conveyancing lawyers - not the ones that will earn their estate agent a kickback or hit his conveyancing thresholds demanded by senior management.