I am getting closer to an exchange on a house in Crofton and my parents have sent the 10% deposit to my . I am now informed that as the deposit has not arrived from me my needs to disclose this to my bank. I am advised that, in also acting for the mortgage company he must inform them that the balance of the purchase price is not just from me. I informed the lender regarding my parents' contribution when I applied for the mortgage, so is it really appropriate for this now to hold matters up?

Your is legally required to clarify with lender to ensure that they are aware that the balance of the purchase price is not from your own resources. Your solicitor can only report this to your mortgage company if you agree, failing which, your lawyer must cease to continue acting.

We decided to purchase a newly converted apartment in Crofton with a residential mortgage from .We use our Crofton conveyancing practitioner but informed us she’s not listed on their approved list of member firms. It seems we are left with no choice but to instruct a panel solicitor or retain our high street solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. The mortgage issued to you is subject to its terms and conditions, a common one being that solicitors needs to be on the conveyancing panel. in the past, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for

I have been told that property searches are the number one cause of delay in Crofton house deals. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published findings of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the most frequent causes of delays during the legal transfer of property. Searches are unlikely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in Crofton.

Crofton Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries before buying

This question is important as a) areas could result in problems for the building as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate if repairs are not paid for b) if the tenants have a dispute with the managing agents you will wish to have all the details Make sure you discover if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. By way of example some leases prohibit pets being allowed in certain buildings in Crofton. If you like the apartmentin Crofton however your dog can’t live with you then you have a very hard determination. Where a Crofton lease has less than 80 years it will affect the salability of the apartment. Check with your bank that they are happy with the length of the lease. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and it is worth finding out what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you will be required to have been the owner of the residence for a couple of years before you are entitled to exercise a lease extension.

To what extent are Crofton conveyancing solicitors under an obligation to the Law Society to supply transparent conveyancing costs?

Contained within the Solicitors Code of Conduct are specific rules and regulations as to how the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) allow solicitors to publicise their charges to clients.The Law Society have practice note giving advice on how to publicise transparent charges to avoid breaching any such rule. Practice notes are not legal advice issued by the Law Society and is not to be regarded as the only standard of good practice a conveyancing solicitor should adhere to. The Practice Note does, however, constitute the Law Society’s view of acceptable practice for publicising conveyancing charges, and accordingly it’s a recommended read for any solicitor or conveyancer in Crofton or beyond.