I am purchasing a right to buy a flat in Stone. Conveyancing solicitors are said to be ‘a necessary evil’ but can I do it myself?

Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing in Stone you will have to appoint a solicitor on your lender's conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to be made in you doing conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on your lender panel in Stone.

It has been 3 months following my purchase conveyancing in Stone took place. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Stone with a loan from Leeds Building Society. The sellers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The estate agent told me not inform my lawyer about the extras as it would affect my mortgage with Leeds Building Society. 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.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £305k and found one round the corner in Stone I like with a park and station nearby, the downside is that it's only got 51 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Stone suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?

Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be an issue. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

Am I best advised to appoint a Stone conveyancing solicitor who is local to the property I am purchasing? An old friend can carry out the legal work however her office is approximately 350kilometers drive away.

The primary upside of using a high street Stone conveyancing practice is that you can drop in to sign paperwork, hand in your ID and pester them where appropriate. Having local Stone know how is a benefit. However it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If other friends have used your friend and they were happy that must outweigh using an unknown Stone conveyancing lawyer just because they are Stone based.