We are about to exchange contracts for a semi detached house in Wolvey. We encountered a snag. The mortgage offer with Halifax runs out on 7/6/2024 but the owners are suggesting a completion date of 11/6/2024. Can one prolong the mortgage expiry date?

The person best placed to address this concern is your lawyer who should assess whether they better off negotiating with the lender, vendor’s solicitors, property agents or indeed all three given the circumstances your house move as of today.

I had a mortgage agreed in principle with Yorkshire BS. Wolvey conveyancing lawyers have been chosen. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Yorkshire BS?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Yorkshire BS conducted the valuation? Have you informed Yorkshire BS as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Wolvey. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £225. A few days later, the solicitor called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Santander conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Santander panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Our offer on a detached house in Wolvey has been accepted, the sellers do nevertheless have a dependent purchase. The sellers have offered on a property, however it’s not yet agreed to, and are looking at other apartments booked. I have selected a local conveyancing solicitor in Wolvey. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with Bank of Ireland started?

It is normal to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (mortgage application is in the region of £1k, then survey, Wolvey conveyancing search fees, etc). First, you must check that your conveyancer is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. As to the next stages this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your case, motivation for this property and on the state of the market. In a hot market the majority of purchasers will apply for the mortgage with Bank of Ireland and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their property lawyer to proceed with searches.

I have been told that property searches are the number one reason for hinderance in Wolvey house deals. Is this right?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the determinations of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the top 10 causes of delays during the legal transfer of property. Searches are unlikely to be the root cause of holding up conveyancing in Wolvey.

I am purchasing my first flat in Wolvey with a mortgage from The Mortgage Works. The sellers would not budge the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The estate agent told me not inform my lawyer about this extras as it would put at risk my mortgage with The Mortgage Works. Should I keep quiet?.

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.

Is it necessary during the course of the conveyancing process to attend the offices of the bank conveyancing panel solicitor to sign the mortgage deed? If so, I will appoint a lawyer who conducts conveyancing in Wolvey as it will be easier to pop in to their offices if required.

As opposed to 12 years ago, most lenders no longer require their conveyancing panel solicitor to witness the borrowers signature. You will still be obliged to provide ID Documents and there are still distinct advantages to using a local solicitor, in your case a conveyancing solicitor in Wolvey.