I instructed a Oldland based lawyer for our conveyancing in Oldland last week. After carefully reading the Ts and Cs I noteI am liable for fees even if the dealfalls through. Should I go with them or use an on-line lawyer advertising no move no charge conveyancing in Oldland?

Generally there is a compromise along the lines that if "No Completion No Fee" is offered then the fee levels will tend to be be higher to counteract those conveyances that abort. Please beware that these deals tend not to protect you from disbursements such as Oldland conveyancing search costs.

My partner and I have arranged a further advance on our home loan from Aldermore as we wish to conduct improvements to our house in Oldland. Are we obliged to appoint a local Oldland solicitor on the Aldermore conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Aldermore would not normally instruct firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Aldermore conveyancing panel.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Oldland off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Barclays. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Barclays, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Barclays conveyancing panel.

I've digested plenty of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Oldland solicitor - who is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

Coventry BS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Coventry BS 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. You may wish to consider appointing your own Oldland surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Oldland?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Oldland. 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…’

I'm purchasing my first flat in Oldland with the aid of help to buy. The developers would not move on the price so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The estate agent suggested that I not inform my conveyancer about this side-deal as it will impact my loan with TSB. Is this normal?.

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.

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and found one close by in Oldland I like with amenity areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 51 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Oldland for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?

If you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you may ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this.