What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Kimbolton? Why is this being asked of me?

Kimbolton conveyancing solicitors and indeed property practitioners throughout the UK have an obligation under money laundering regulations to check the identity of any client with a view to satisfy themselves that clients are who they say they are.

Conveyancing clients are required to disclose two forms of certified identification; proof of identity (usually a Passport or Driving Licence) and proof of address (usually a Utility Bill no more than three months).

Evidence of source of funds is also required in compliance with the money laundering laws as conveyancers are required to ensure that the monies you are utilising to purchase a property (be it the exchange deposit or the total purchase amount where you are a cash purchaser) has come from a reputable source (such as employment savings) as opposed to the fruits of illegitimate behaviour.

A friend suggested that where I am buying in Kimbolton I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Kimbolton conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing important information about Kimbolton around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Kimbolton Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Kimbolton Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Kimbolton.

I own a terraced Edwardian house in Kimbolton. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and . I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same property. Is it worth asking to clarify?

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Kimbolton and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.

I am buying a new build house in Kimbolton with a mortgage from . The sellers would not budge the amount so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative suggested that I not to tell my conveyancer about the side-deal as it may affect my loan with . 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.

I opted to have a survey completed on a property in Kimbolton ahead of instructing solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. The surveyor has said that some banks will refuse to issue a mortgage on this type of house.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you e-mail us we can look into this further via the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Kimbolton. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Kimbolton especially if they regularly deal with such properties in Kimbolton.