Me and my partner are buying a house in Harpenden. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a solicitor? At some point we have to send our life savings into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our deposit?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from as we intend to carry out a loft conversion to our property in Harpenden. Do we need to select a high street Harpenden solicitor on the conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?

don't usually appoint firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the list.

Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Harpenden solicitor - who is on the conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Harpenden postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with , you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Harpenden.

I require expedited conveyancing in Harpenden as I am under an ultimatum to sign on the dotted line within one month. Thankfully I do not require a mortgage. Is it possible to decline from having conveyancing searches to save fees and time?

As you are are a mortgage free buyer you are at liberty not to do searches although no solicitor would advise that you don't. With lots of history conveyancing in Harpenden the following are instances of issues that can appear and adversely affect future mortgageability: Refused Planning Applications, Outstanding Fees, Overdue Grants, Road Schemes,...

I'm purchasing a new build house in Harpenden with a mortgage from . The developers refused to move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The house builders rep advised me not to tell my lawyer about the extras as it would affect my loan with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I put an offer in last month in what was supposed to be a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Harpenden is the location of the property. Is there any advice you can impart?

Flying freeholds in Harpenden are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Harpenden you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Harpenden may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.

We are soon to purchasing a home in Harpenden. Can the keep the amount we are are purchasing for private from sites such as Zoopla. Is this achievable and how?

HM Land Registry by statute are bound to reveal price paid data on the official title for residential properties countrywide which includes premises in Harpenden. The register of ownership is an open document, so HM Land Registry would be breaking the law excluded certain properties such as your property in Harpenden.

In essence you can make a request of HMLR to hide the price paid entry however the response will be in the negative.