My wife and I are buying a property in Hoyland. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a lawyer? On completion day we will need to deposit funds into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our deposit?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

I just bought a property at auction in Hoyland. Conveyancing is necessary. What happens now?

Given that you are now exchanged you now have to retain a conveyancing practitioner quickly as you now have a fast approaching a fixed date to complete the purchase. All auction property will ordinarily have an associated legal set of papers. This will likely include most,if not all of the paperwork that your lawyer will need. If you have purchased leasehold premises the auction papers may provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing paperwork specific to a leasehold property. You should give this to the conveyancer instructed by you as soon as possible. You also need to ensure that that you have the requisite funding in order to complete on the date specified in the contract.

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

Principality will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Principality 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 conveyancing practitioner 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 Hoyland postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Principality, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Hoyland.

I am planning on selling our house in Hoyland and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being constructed on contaminated land. A local lawyer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the buyers instructed an online conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Hoyland. We have lived in Hoyland for 5 years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to get in touch with our local Authority to seek clarification that there is no issue.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You need to check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same sickness)

I am purchasing a new build house in Hoyland with a mortgage from Barclays . The developers would not reduce the price so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The estate agent suggested that I not to tell my solicitor about this deal as it may adversely affect my loan 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.

Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Hoyland in advance of retaining solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. My surveyor has said that some mortgage companies may not issue a loan on this type of house.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you call us we can investigate further via the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Hoyland. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Hoyland to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.

Last August I purchased a leasehold property in Hoyland. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I purchased a 2 bed flat in Hoyland, conveyancing having been completed April 2010. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Comparable flats in Hoyland with over 90 years remaining are worth £191,000. The ground rent is £55 per annum. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2079

You have 53 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £27,600 and £31,800 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.