We wanted to use a conveyancing solicitor in Custom House for our home move. Our financial adviser has since notified us that our mortgage company won't deal with them. Surely this is unduly restrictive?

Banks on the whole restrict either the category or the amount of conveyancing firms on their member panel. A common example of such criteria being that a firm must have two or more partners. As well as restricting the profile of firm, a few banks have limited the amount of solicitor practices they use to act for them. Be aware that have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the reduction of conveyancing panels a few years ago even though there remains mixed opinions regarding the level of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Data from the Land Registry indicate that plenty of law firms, including some in or near Custom House only conduct a couple conveyances a year.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Custom House?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Custom House. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I'm purchasing my first flat in Custom House benefiting from help to buy. The developers refused to move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The sale representative told me not reveal to my lawyer about this deal as it will jeopardize my loan with . 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.

As co-executor for the will of my uncle I am disposing of a residence in Swansea but reside in Custom House. My solicitor (approximately 250 kilometers from mehas requested that I execute a stat dec before the transaction finalising. Can you recommend a conveyancing lawyer in Custom House to witness this legal document for me?

strictly speaking you are unlikely to be required to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily or notary public or qualified solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are Custom House based

There are only 62 years unexpired on my lease in Custom House. I need to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. What should I do?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. You will be obliged to prove that you have made all reasonable attempts to locate the landlord. For most situations an enquiry agent would be useful to try and locate and prepare an expert document which can be used as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer both on investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Custom House.

Custom House Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

What is the the remaining lease term? How is the lease structured? This question is important as a) areas may result in problems for the building as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate where maintenance are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the running of the building you will wish to have full disclosure