I am in a contract race with another prospective purchaser for a property in Sanderstead. What can be done to hasten the conveyancing process?

In the event that the seller is applying a tight deadline to exchange it is advisable to make sure that your lawyer is familiar with the area as they will benefit local relationships and knowledge. It is even conceivable that they may have transacted otherhouses in the same road. Therefore consider using a Sanderstead conveyancing solicitor. In addition, check that the conveyancing firm is on the on the approved list for your mortgage company. It is believed that nearly one in five of Sanderstead conveyancing transactions are delayed or derailed after finding out that a buyer’s conveyancer was not on their mortgage lender’s list of approved solicitors. In many cases this discovery resulted in the conveyancing being held up by as much as 21 days. It is understood that this issue affects in the region of 100,000 home sales every year. Most Sanderstead conveyancing practices can not represent certain lenders so do check at the outset.

We're in Sanderstead, First timers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Clydesdale , and our solicitor is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no property lawyer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

I used Wolstenholmes a few years ago for my conveyancing in Sanderstead. I now require my file however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Sanderstead of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I'm purchasing a new build house in Sanderstead with the aid of help to buy. The sellers refused to reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The sale representative advised me not to tell my solicitor about this extras as it would impact my loan with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

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 opted to have a survey done on a property in Sanderstead before instructing lawyers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. The surveyor has said that some banks will not grant a loan on such a premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different requirements for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can look into this further via the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Sanderstead. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Sanderstead to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.