How up to date is your search tool for Grays conveyancing solicitors on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel? Do Coventry BS send you an updated list?

Grays conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Coventry BS directly.

The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Grays. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

Almost all lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.

It is not clear whether my lender obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have telephoned my Grays building society branch on numerous occasions and was told it does not impact the mortgage offer and they will lend. My Grays conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- called to say that they will not lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?

Your conveyancer must comply with the CML Handbook Part 2 conditions for your bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company 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 left on the lease.

I have instructed a Grays conveyancing practitioner having made sure that they are on the TSB conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

TSB will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually TSB will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your property lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Grays postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with TSB, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Grays.

I am purchasing a new build house in Grays with the aid of help to buy. The sellers would not budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not reveal to my solicitor about this deal as it could adversely affect my mortgage with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £245,000 and identified one round the corner in Grays I like with open areas and transport links nearby, however it's only got 61 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Grays in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a home loan that many years will likely be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this.

We are in the process of acquiring a apartment in Grays. Conveyancing is not complete but we wish to keep our transaction price confidential from the likes of Zoopla. How can this be achieved ?

HM Land Registry by statute are required to disclose price paid information on a register of the title for residential properties nationwide which includes premises in Grays. The register of title is an open document, so the Land Registry would be breaking the law excluded certain homes such as the one in Grays.

You can ask the Land Registry to hide the price paid data however the response would be in the negative.