I am soon to complete on the purchase of a property in Lifton but as a result of damage from some water damage at the property I have was able negotiate compensation from the seller in the sum of £2k taking the form of a reduction in the price. This was going to be addressed as part of amending the contract but Skipton will not permit this. Should they have been involved?

Your solicitor being on a Skipton approved list is duty bound to inform Skipton of any changes to the purchase price. If you prohibit your conveyancing practitioner to notify the price change to Skipton then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Skipton and you would have to appoint a new conveyancer for your conveyancing in Lifton.

My wife and I have recently appointed a conveyancing solicitor in Lifton. I I would like to check if they are accepted on the Halifax conveyancing panel. Can you help?

You should contact your conveyancer and ask them whether they are on the lender panel. Alternatively please get in touch with Halifax who may be able to confirm.

I completed on my home on 16 January and the transaction details are still not registered. Need I be worried? My conveyancing solicitor in Lifton expressed confidence that it would be registered in less than a month. Are properties in Lifton particularly slow to register?

As far as conveyancing in Lifton registration is no quicker or slower than the rest of the country. Rather than based on location, timeframes can adjust subject to who lodges the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry must send notices to any interested persons or bodies. At present approximately 80% of such applications are fully dealt with within 12 days but some can be subject to protracted hold-ups. Historically registration is effected after the purchaser has moved in to the property thus registration formalities is not usually top priority yet where it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your lawyers must communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Lifton I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 51 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Lifton for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?

If you require a home loan the shortness of the lease will be an issue. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this.

After what feels like an age I have had an offer on an flat in Lifton accepted, the vendor does nevertheless have a tied purchase. The owners have submitted an offer on on an apartment, however it’s not yet agreed to, and are looking at other flats in the pipeline. I have instructed a local conveyancing solicitor in Lifton. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with HSBC going with HSBC?

It is usual to have apprehensions where there is an associated chain given your reluctance to incur expenses prematurely (home loan application is approx £1k, then valuation, Lifton conveyancing search costs, etc). The first course of action is to check that your conveyancing practitioner is on the HSBC conveyancing panel. Concerning the subsequent steps this very much depends on the uniqueness of your transaction, desire for this property and on the state of the market. During a hot market some home buyers will apply for a home loan with HSBC and pay for the survey and only if it comes back ok would they request their conveyancing practitioner to press on with the conveyancing in Lifton.