I had intended to instruct a property lawyer in Bramley for our house move. Our broker has since notified us that our bank HSBC Bank won't deal with them. Surely this is unduly restrictive?

Lenders ordinarily imposes restrictions either the category or the volume of conveyancing practices on their approved list of lawyers. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a law practice must not be a sole practitioner. As well as restricting the type of firm, some have reduced the amount of solicitor practices they permit to represent them. You should note that HSBC Bank have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of HSBC Bank Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of solicitor panels a few years ago even though there remains mixed opinions about the level of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Figures from the Land Registry reveal that plenty of law firms, including some in or near Bramley only carry out one or two conveyances per annum.

I have been told that property searches are the number one cause of hinderance in Bramley house deals. Is that correct?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature within the most frequent causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any delay in conveyancing in Bramley.

It has been 3 months following my purchase conveyancing in Bramley concluded. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £150,000 when infact I paid £160,000. 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.

How does conveyancing in Bramley differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Bramley come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is ready to move into. This is because new home sellers in Bramley tend to acquire the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Bramley or who has acted in the same development.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a couple of maisonettes in Bramley both have in the region of fifty years unexpired on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in Bramley. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a period of time. As the lease shortens the value of the lease reduces and it becomes more expensive to extend the lease. For this reason it is generally wise to increase the term of the lease. It is often difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on such properties. Lease extension can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this area.

Bramley Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries Prior to buying

The answer will be important as a) areas may cause problems in the building as the common areas may begin to deteriorate if repairs remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the running of the building you will need to have complete disclosure Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge payments?