I am acquiring a property mortgage free in Lydney. I have been living for the previous Seventeen years in Lydney. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. As I have knowledge of the road and vicinity intimately should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?

Provided that you do not need a home loan, then the vast majority of the Lydney conveyancing searches are optional. Your conveyancer will ’encourage you, no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches done, but he is duty bound to take that path of advice. One thing to take into account; if you are intend to dispose of the house at a future date, it may be of interest to your prospective buyer what the searches determine. On occasion houses with apparent issues can still show up detrimental search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Lydney will provide you some helpful advice in this regard.

There are a variety of conveyancing solicitors in Lydney but how do I know who I should use?

Do not opt for the cheapest Lydney conveyancing fees. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

I can not work out if my bank obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called my Lydney building society branch on various occasions and was informed it wasn't a problem and they will lend. My Lydney conveyancing solicitor - who is on the lender conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they refuse to lend based on their specific requirements. I simply don't know who is right.

As long as the property lawyer is on the mortgage company panel, they must adhere to the CML Handbook requirements for the lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the lender will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Lydney conveyancer having checked that they are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

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

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Lydney?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Lydney. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

Taking into account that I will soon part with 450k on a terraced house in Lydney I wish to talk to a conveyancer concerning theconveyancing before appointing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

Absolutely - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you speaking to the conveyancer due to be conducting your property ownership legalities in Lydney.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is unique individual, not a case reference. The practices that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are quoted for residential conveyancing in Lydney should be the amount on the final invoice that you are charged.

We have had DIP from Clydesdale who suggested we could borrow up to £117k. When do I need to appoint a practitioner for conveyancing? Lydney is where we plan to move to.

You can instruct a solicitor now requesting that they generate a file on your behalf. This will enable: 1) the estate agent to send out the Sales Memo to the relevant parties 2) the seller’s solicitor to send out the draft paperwork. That being said, do not ask your conveyancing practitioner to order searches until you have your valuation report via Clydesdale and you are happy to proceed.