It is 10 years ago since I purchased my home in Bedminster. Conveyancing solicitors have now been retained on the sale but I can't find the title documents. Will this jeopardise the sale?

You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be kept by the lender or they may be in the possession of the lawyers who acted in your purchase. Secondly in all probability the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring current official copies of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Bedminster relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.

I am downsizing from our house in Bedminster and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built land that was not decontaminated. Any local conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the purchasers are using a factory type conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Bedminster. Having lived in Bedminster for 4 years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to get in touch with our local Authority to seek clarification need.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor already. What do they say? You must check with 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 sickness)

I have justbeen informed that Wolstenholmes have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in Bedminster for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 18 months ago. How can I be sure that my home is registered correctly in the name of the former proprietor?

The easiest method to check if the premises is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Bedminster conveyancing specialists.

I'm buying a new build house in Bedminster with the aid of help to buy. The sellers would not budge the price so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not inform my lawyer about this extras as it would put at risk my mortgage with Birmingham Midshires. 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.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Bedminster from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Bedminster can be bypassed if you instruct lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold documentation which will be required by the buyers’ conveyancers.
Some Bedminster leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors. The majority of freeholders or managing agents in Bedminster levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management information can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Bedminster. If you hold a share in a the Management Company, you should make sure that you hold the original share document. Arranging a replacement share certificate is often a lengthy formality and delays many a Bedminster home move. If a duplicate share is required, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity. If there is a history of conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where a dispute is unsettled. You will have to accept that you will have to pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to unsettled.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Bedminster - A selection of Questions you should ask before buying

This question is important as a) areas may result in problems in the building as the common areas may begin to deteriorate if services remain unpaid b) if the leasehold owners have a dispute with the running of the building you will want to have all the details Best to be warned if window replacement or some other major work is pending that will be shared by the leasehold owners and will dramatically impact the level of the maintenance fees or necessitate a specific payment. Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge liability?