A friend advised me that in buying a property in Banwell there could be various restrictions preventing external alterations to the property. Is this right?

There are a number of properties in Banwell which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Banwell should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

My husband and I are in the throws of looking at houses in Banwell and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it best to have a conveyancing practitioner on ‘stand by’? I am planning to take a home loan with Aldermore.

You should start requesting conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the EA. As you are getting a mortgage with Aldermore, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

I have a mortgage with Nottingham for my property in Banwell. Conveyancing has been completed months ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Nottingham?

You must advise Nottingham prior to letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Nottingham’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Nottingham directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Nottingham conveyancing panel solicitor.

My wife and I are selling our property in Banwell and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being constructed on contaminated land. Any high street Banwell lawyer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the buyers are using an internet conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Banwell. We have lived in Banwell for three years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to seek confirmation that there is no issue.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor already. What do they say? You must 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 life insurance to cover that same ailment)

I used Wolstenholmes a few years ago for my conveyancing in Banwell. Now, I need my files but the law firm has closed. What do I do?

Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Banwell of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on two weeks back in what was supposed to be a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Banwell is the location of the property. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Banwell are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Banwell you must be sure that your lawyer goes 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 Banwell 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.

I have miscalculated my finances and am a few thousand pounds short a 10% deposit on my house purchase in Banwell , but I am anxious go ahead. Do I have options?

You can accept a lesser deposit. Most vendors will agree to a lesser deposit or even no deposit for a first time buyer or 100% mortgage. Be aware though that if you fail to complete you will still need to hand over a minimum of 10% of the purchase price regardless of how much deposit was agreed.

You can also agree a simultaneous exchange and completion as no deposit is required for this however neither party will be tied in until completion actually takes place and it can be risky if sellers change their mind at the last minute