My husband and I are purchasing a brand new apartment in Almondsbury and my solicitor is advising me that she is duty bound to the bank to disclose incentives from the builder. I am under pressure to sign contracts and my preference is not to delay matters. is my lawyer playing by the book?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your solicitor. A precondition to being on a mortgage company panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

Should conveyancers ask for money up-front for conveyancing in Almondsbury?

If you are buying a property in Almondsbury your solicitor will ask you place them with monies to cover the search fees. Ordinarily this is asked for to cover the fees of the conveyancing searches. When the down payment is as part of the purchase price then this should be asked for immediately prior to contracts are exchanged. The final balance that is due will be payable shortly before completion.

It has been four months following my purchase conveyancing in Almondsbury took place. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £150,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I am buying my first flat in Almondsbury benefiting from help to buy. The developers refused to move on the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent suggested that I not to tell my conveyancer about this side-deal as it will impact my mortgage with the bank. 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.

How can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 affect my business property in Almondsbury and how can you help?

The 1954 Act affords security of tenure to business leaseholders, giving them the legal entitlement to make a request to court for a continuation of occupancy at the end of the lease term. There are limited grounds where a landlord can refuse a lease renewal and the rules are complicated. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing firms who use the act to your advantage and help with commercial conveyancing in Almondsbury