We had selected conveyancing lawyers based in Loughton on the Kent Reliance solicitor approved list. They are now charging me an additional fee for handling the Kent Reliance mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Kent Reliance?

As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your lawyer is entitled to levy a fee for this. This fee is not set by Kent Reliance but by your Loughton solicitor. Numerous firms on the Kent Reliance panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but many firms incorporate it on their overall fee.

Can I be sure that the Loughton conveyancing solicitor on the Clydesdale panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Loughton seeking recommendations is a good starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always advise that you speak with the solicitor handling your transaction.

The mortgage over my property is with Lloyds for my property in Loughton. Conveyancing was finalised a year ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Lloyds?

Lloyds must be informed of your intention in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Lloyds’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Lloyds directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Lloyds conveyancing panel solicitor.

My wife and I are intent on selling our home in Loughton and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was built land that was not decontaminated. Any high street Loughton lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers are using a national conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Loughton. Having lived in Loughton for 5 years we know that this is a non issue. Do we get in touch with our local Authority to seek confirmation need.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer already. What do they say? 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 health insurance to cover that same ailment)

I'm buying my first flat in Loughton with a loan from Bank of Scotland. The sellers would not move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The sale representative advised me not reveal to my conveyancer about this side-deal as it will jeopardize my mortgage with Bank of Scotland. 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.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £305k and identified one near me in Loughton I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 52 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Loughton for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will be problematic. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.

Me and my partner are purchasing a three room housein Loughton with a mortgage from a mortgage company. We have a solicitor in Loughton but our bank advise he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the our bank panel firms or keep our Loughton solicitor and incur the extra fees for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that our bank use our Loughton lawyer?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage company home loan issued is subject to conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender's conveyancing panel. Until recently, most banks had open panels, including most conveyancing solicitors in Loughton : a mortgagee could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for your bank.