I am under pressure from the executor of a property in Chipstead to complete within four weeks. What can be done to expedite the buying process?

In a situation where the seller is applying pressure to exchange it is highly recommended that your conveyancer is familiar with the area as they will make use of local contacts and intelligence. It is possible that they could have transacted previousproperties in the same street. Therefore consider using a Chipstead conveyancing firm. Second, check that the conveyancing firm is on the on the approved list for your mortgage company. It is estimated that 18% of Chipstead conveyancing deals are held up or derailed after finding out that a buyer’s lawyer was not on their banks member panel. In many cases this discovery resulted in the home move being held up by almost 21 days. It is estimated that this issue affects approximately one hundred thousand home sales every year. Most Chipstead conveyancing firms can not act for certain banks so do check as early as possible.

It is 10 years ago since I acquired my property in Chipstead. Conveyancing solicitors have now been retained on the sale but I can't find the title documents. Is this a problem?

Don’t worry too much. Firstly the deeds may be retained by your mortgage company or they could be archived with the lawyers who acted in the purchase. Secondly the chances are that the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Chipstead relates to registered property but in the rare situation where your property is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.

We are buying a terrace house in Chipstead. We would like to carry out a loft conversion at the property.Will the conveyancing process involve checks to determine if these alterations are allowed?

Your property lawyer will check the deeds as conveyancing in Chipstead can on occasion identify restrictions in the title deeds which prevent categories of alterations or require the permission of a 3rd party. Many extensions require local authority planning consent and approval under the building regulations. Some locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. It would be wise to check these things with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

Planning on purchasing a house in Chipstead. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Chipstead solicitor is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel.

At last I have had an offer on an apartment in Chipstead accepted, the owners do nevertheless have an associated purchase. The sellers have offered on somewhere, but it’s not yet agreed to, and have viewings of other apartments in the pipeline. I have instructed a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Chipstead. What do I do now? At what point should I apply for the mortgage with Bank of Ireland?

It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs prematurely (mortgage application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then survey, Chipstead conveyancing search charges, etc). The first course of action is to check that your solicitor is on the Bank of Ireland approved list. Regarding the next phase this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your transaction, motivation for the property and on the state of the market. During a hot market the majority of buyers will apply for the mortgage with Bank of Ireland and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they ask their conveyancing practitioner to press on with the conveyancing in Chipstead.

Do commercial conveyancing searches disclose proposed roadworks that could impact a commercial site in Chipstead?

Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in Chipstead will order a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers expend in sourcing accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Chipstead. The search result sets out definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Chipstead.

For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Chipstead it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately could cause delays to Chipstead commercial conveyancing transactions as well as pose a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not conducted for residential conveyancing in Chipstead.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Chipstead?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Chipstead. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’