Will our lawyer be raising enquiries regarding flooding during the conveyancing in Harwich.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for conveyancers dealing with homes in Harwich. Plenty of people will purchase a property in Harwich, fully expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or sell the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Solicitors are not qualified to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a numerous searches that may be initiated by the purchaser or by their conveyancers which can give them a better appreciation of the risks in Harwich. The conventional set of information given to a buyer’s solicitor (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a usual inquiry of the owner to find out if the property has ever been flooded. In the event that the residence has been flooded in past and is not notified by the vendor, then a buyer could commence a legal claim for losses as a result of such an incorrect answer. The purchaser’s solicitors may also conduct an environmental search. This should indicate whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed investigations will need to be conducted.

I used Action Conveyancing a few years past for my conveyancing in Harwich. Now, I need my documents but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Harwich of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I am buying a new build house in Harwich with a mortgage from . The sellers would not reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative suggested that I not to tell my lawyer about this side-deal as it will put at risk my mortgage with . Is this normal?.

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 am looking to sell my property. My former lawyers has retired. It would be helpful to have a recommendation of a conveyancing firm. Im based in Harwich if that affects matters.

You should use our search tool to help you find a solicitor for your conveyancing in Harwich. We have connected thousands of home buyers and sellers with lender approved solicitors to ensure that the legalities of their house move runs with a minimum of fuss.

My lawyer in Harwich has informed me that he requires personal identification documents saying that this forms part of his legal duty as a conveyancer on the bank Solicitor panel. Can you confirm whether this is the case?

Due to Money Laundering Regulations your conveyancing lawyer is duty bound to confirm positively your identification when entering into a business relationship with you. It is a criminal offence if your lawyer not do this. If you do not provide ID early in the transaction the solicitor must refuse to act for you. It’s unlikely a lawyer will turn you away if you come to the first meeting without relevant ID but you will have to produce it at some point so you might as well bring it with you to the initial meeting so the lawyer can tick the ID verification box and start sorting out the conveyancing straight away. If you are getting a mortgage, your lawyer also has to check ID documents to satisfy the mortgage company. This is not specific to conveyancing in Harwich