I require conveyancing for a flat in a relatively new development (five years built) in Portsmouth. 95% of the flats are already disposed of. Is it really necessary to order conveyancing searches as part of conveyancing in Portsmouth?

You would be putting yourself at risk in refusing to carrying out Portsmouth conveyancing searches. Without searches you have no clarity over flooding, environmental etc which may mean you walk away due to potential problems down the line. If you are buying mortgage free there is no legal requirement to have them, but we would absolutely advise in no uncertain terms that you have them. If timings and cost are top of your issues you should discuss with your solicitor about the viability of search insurance

Are the Portsmouth conveyancing solicitors identified as being on the conveyancing panel, together with their details provided by ?

Portsmouth conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from directly.

We are intent on selling our house in Portsmouth and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being constructed on contaminated land. A high street Portsmouth lawyer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers instructed a nationwide conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Portsmouth. Having lived in Portsmouth for six years we know that this is a non issue. Should we get in touch with our local Authority to obtain confirmation that there is no issue.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing lawyer already. What do they say? You should enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same sickness)

I'm buying my first flat in Portsmouth with the aid of help to buy. The developers refused to budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The sale representative told me not disclose to my lawyer about this extras as it could affect my mortgage with the lender. 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.

Portsmouth Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

Plenty Portsmouth leasehold apartments will incur a service charge for maintenance of the building set on behalf of the freeholder. Where you buy the apartment you will have to pay this contribution, usually quarterly throughout the year. This can vary from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built blocks. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay annual, this is usually not a exorbitant figure, say about £25-£75 but you should to enquire as occasionally it could be prohibitively expensive. Make sure you investigate if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. By way of example plenty of leases prohibit pets being allowed in certain buildings in Portsmouth. If you love the flatin Portsmouth however your dog can’t live with you then you have a very difficult choice. Best to be warned whether fixing the lift or some other significant cost is due in the near future to be shared amongst the leaseholders and may well materially increase the the service charges or result in a one time payment.