When reading consumer advice sites for a high-quality lawyer in Hilton, most comment that I must look for a CQS kitemarked lawyer. What is CQS?

Hilton Conveyancing Quality Scheme practices have obtained accreditation by the law Society CQS was established to promote high standards in the home legal process. CQS enables buyers and sellers to identify practices who provide a quality residential conveyancing. Hilton is one of the many areas in England and Wales in which CQS have a presence. The scheme requires law firms to undergo a strict assessment, compulsory training, self-certification, spot checks and yearly assessments in order to maintain CQS status. It is open only to members of the Law Society who meet the demanding standards set by the scheme and has the support of the Council of Mortgage Lenders.

We are buying a terrace house in Hilton. The intention is to an extension at the rear at the property.Will the conveyancing process include investigations to ascertain if these works are prohibited?

Your property lawyer should review the deeds as conveyancing in Hilton can on occasion reveal restrictions in the title documents which prohibit categories of alterations or require the consent of a 3rd party. Many extensions call for local authority planning permissions and approval in compliance with building regulations. Some areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. It would be wise to check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

We previously appointed conveyancing lawyers based in Hilton on the Nottingham solicitor approved list. They have just billed me a supplemental fee for dealing with the Nottingham mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Nottingham?

As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your property lawyer can charge a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Nottingham but by your Hilton lawyer. Some firms on the Nottingham panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but plenty of practices incorporate it on their overall fee.

I was told four weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by UBS. Is it usual for UBS to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Hilton is approved on their conveyancing panel? UBS have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their PI Insurance.

A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for UBS to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the UBS conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I used Arc property Solicitors several years past for my conveyancing in Hilton. I now require my file however the law firm has closed. What do I do?

You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down 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 Hilton 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 purchasing a new build house in Hilton with a mortgage from Clydesdale. The builders would not reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The estate agent suggested that I not disclose to my lawyer about the side-deal as it could put at risk my loan with the lender. 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.

Am I best advised to appoint a Hilton conveyancing practitioner who is local to the property I am buying? I have an old university friend who can deal with the conveyancing however her office is 300kilometers drive away.

The benefit of a local Hilton conveyancing firm is that you can drop in to execute paperwork, hand in your identification documents and apply pressure on them if necessary. Having local Hilton know how is a plus. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If other friends have instructed your friend and the majority were impressed that should outweigh using an unknown Hilton conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being round the corner.