I have given 8 weeks notice to my current landlord and must vacate my let out flat in Fulford by the end of next month. Conveyancing on my purchase is underway. How realistic is it to complete in 5 weeks as I wish to avoid having to move into temporary accommodation?

The normal practice is not to give notice for your letting until exchange of contracts has taken place. If you have not already done so, speak to your lawyer and ask them to they apply pressure on the owners lawyers, try to a target completion date that all parties will look to achieve

It is 10 years ago since I bought my property in Fulford. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been instructed on the sale but I am unable to locate the title deeds. Is this a problem?

Don’t worry too much. First the deeds may be retained by the mortgage company or they could be in the possession of the lawyers who oversaw the purchase. Secondly in most cases the land will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors procuring current official copies of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Fulford involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is unregistered it is more of a problem but is not insurmountable.

I am purchasing a semi-detached house in Fulford. Can I do my own conveyancing?

Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing in Fulford you will have to appoint a solicitor on your bank's conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to be made in you doing conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on your lender panel in Fulford.

My wife and I own a 4 bedroom Victorian house in Fulford. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Lloyds TSB Bank. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the matching property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Fulford and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also question the position with the conveyancing practitioner who completed the work.

I'm purchasing a new build house in Fulford with the aid of help to buy. The builders would not reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not disclose to my conveyancer about the deal as it will put at risk my loan with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

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.