Do I need to have a meeting at the offices of the solicitor to execute the legal charge? If so, I will instruct a firm who offer conveyancing in Devon so that I can pop in to their offices when needed.

Most approved lawyers for lenders conduct all of the work through the post, e-mail or over phone calls. This means that they can undertake the conveyancing transaction regardless of where you live in England or Wales. Nevertheless you can see if you can still book an appointment to visit conveyancing lawyer if needed.

I am purchasing a property in Devon. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Skipton have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Skipton your lawyer must comply with the formal instructions contained in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Skipton. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook includes minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancers are required to report to Skipton where a lease does not satisfy these provisions. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not isolated to Devon.

I can not fathom if my bank obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called my Devon bank branch on various occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they will lend. My Devon conveyancing solicitor - who is on the lender conveyancing panel- called and was told they would not lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?

Your conveyancing practitioner has to follow the CML Handbook Part 2 specifications for your lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

I have finally had an offer on a maisonette in Devon accepted, the owners do nevertheless have a dependent purchase. The sellers have put an offer on a property, but it’s not yet tied up, and are looking at other flats booked. I have chosen a local conveyancing solicitor in Devon. What do I do now? When do I get the mortgage application with Lloyds started?

It is usual to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (home loan application is in the region of £1k, then survey, Devon conveyancing search costs, etc). First, you should ensure that your conveyancing practitioner is on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. Regarding the next stages this very much depends on the uniqueness of your transaction, attraction to the property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market some buyers will apply for the mortgage with Lloyds and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they ask their property lawyer to press on with searches.

What does a local search tell me about the house we're buying in Devon?

Devon conveyancing often commences with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search organisations for example Searchflow The local search is essential in every Devon conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any unpleasant surprises after you move into your new home. The search should provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 topic areas.

I'm buying a new build house in Devon with a mortgage from Nottingham Building Society. The developers would not budge the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The property agent advised me not disclose to my solicitor about the side-deal as it may put at risk my mortgage with Nottingham Building Society. 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.

I decided to have a survey completed on a property in Devon prior to appointing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. My surveyor advised that some lenders tend refuse to issue a loan on this type of house.

It varies from the lender to lender. HSBC has different instructions from Halifax. Should you wish to telephone us we can check with the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Devon. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Devon to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.