All was ready to complete my purchase in Sawston next Thursday. I have now been asked to send a copy of my building insurance schedule by my solicitor as he says that he has to check this in his capacity as lawyer for the mortgage company. What does the insurance need to cover?

Any lawyer on acting for lenders would need to check that the following risks are covered fire; lightning; aircraft; explosion; earthquake; storm; flood; escape of water or oil; riot; malicious damage; theft or attempted theft; falling trees and branches and aerials; subsidence; heave;landslip;collision;accidental damage to underground services;professional fees, demolition and site clearance costs; and public liability to anyone else. There are some other issues such as the level of excess that are set out in a lender’s UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions. These requirements are not unique to conveyancing in Sawston.

There is lots of here regarding conveyancing in Sawston but can you isolate your top tip for finding the right conveyancer in Sawston

We would encourage you not to go for the lowest Sawston conveyancing fees. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. 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.

Is it the case that all Sawston solicitor firms on the Lloyds conveyancing panel are governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Lloyds approved list of solicitors they would need to be overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Some mortgage companies do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

My partner and I have arranged the release of further funds on our mortgage from Clydesdale as we intend to carry out alterations to our property in Sawston. Do we need to choose a bricks and mortar Sawston solicitor on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?

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

I used Action Conveyancing several years ago for my conveyancing in Sawston. I now require my file but the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

Do contact 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 Sawston of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, 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 Sawston with the aid of help to buy. The developers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The sale representative suggested that I not to tell my conveyancer about this deal as it may affect my loan with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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 am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a couple of flats in Sawston which have approximately fifty years unexpired on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

There are no two ways about it. A leasehold apartment in Sawston is a deteriorating asset as a result of the reducing lease term. The nearer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it reduces the value of the property. The majority of purchasers and mortgage companies, leases with under eighty years become less and less marketable. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the property for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a residence with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Sawston conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease. You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Sawston - A selection of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

It would be sensible to enquire if there are any onerous prohibitions in the lease. For instance it is very common in Sawston leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in Sawston. If you like the apartmentin Sawston however your cat can’t make the move with you then you will be faced difficult choice. Are there any major works anticipated that could add a premium to the maintenance charges? Generally speaking the cost for major works tend not to be wrapped into the service charges, albeit that some managing agents in Sawston ask leaseholders to pay into a reserve fund and this is used to offset against major works.