Is it correct that all St Austell CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the conveyancing list of approved firms?

It is true that some banks and building societies now utilise the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to join their approved list of firms.

We have a mortgage agreed in principle with . St Austell conveyancing practitioners are chosen. How long does it take for to send the offer to the ?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have done the valuation? Have you informed as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

I am selling my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in February 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, are being difficult. The St Austell solicitor who is on the conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

My friend advised me that where I am purchasing in St Austell I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard St Austell conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about St Austell around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding St Austell.

I am purchasing my first flat in St Austell with a mortgage from . The developers would not budge the price so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The property agent suggested that I not to tell my solicitor about the extras as it could adversely affect my loan with the lender. Is this normal?.

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 decided to have a survey completed on a property in St Austell prior to retaining solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. The surveyor advised that some lenders will refuse to give a loan on such a home.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different instructions from Halifax. If you e-mail us we can check via the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in St Austell. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in St Austell to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.

Why do I have to supply my with numerous items of ID before they can commence with selling or purchasing a property in St Austell?

St Austell s are duty bound by the Law Society, Solicitors Regulation Authority, HMLR and current AML legislation to record that the have verified the identity of their clients. It will also be a condition of your mortgage offer. Furthermore they have to complete various forms, particularly those relating to Land Tax and need to have details such as your full names, NI number and date of birth.