I am looking for value for money conveyancer. Do I opt for a national conveyancer rather than a local Colerne conveyancing lawyer?

Colerne is a special area, where neighbourhood experience is a big bonus. The relaxed pace of life is great – but not for your conveyancing. The property lawyers that we work with providing well rounded Colerne intelligence with a proactive, can doapproach that helps everything runs smoothly. It is a distinct advantage if they can make use of good connections with financial advisers, local authorities, valuers and other Colerne conveyancing solicitors

I am the registered owner of a freehold property in Colerne but still charged rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Colerne and has limited impact for conveyancing in Colerne but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.

Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges date back hundreds of years, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the establishment of new rentcharges post 1977.

Previous rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence after 2037 is to be extinguished.

I am buying a new build house in Colerne benefiting from help to buy. The builders would not move on the amount so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The estate agent advised me not to tell my conveyancer about the side-deal as it may affect my loan with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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.

My husband and I are FTB’s - agreed a price, but the property agent told us that the seller will only go ahead if we appoint the agent's recommended solicitors as they want a ‘quick sale’. We would rather use a family solicitor who is familiar with conveyancing in Colerne

We suspect that the seller is not behind this ultimatum. If they desire ‘a quick sale', turning down a serious purchaser is going to damage their objectives. Bypass the agents and go straight to the owners and make sure they understand (a)you are serious purchasers (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you do not need to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you will continue to appoint your own,trusted Colerne conveyancing firm - as opposed tothe ones that will earn the estate agent a introducer fee or hit his conveyancing thresholds pre-set by corporate headquarters.

My wife and I are buying a studio flat in Colerne. At the time of instructing our lawyer, they assured us that they were on all mainstream lender panels. Our mortgage broker emailed today to advise that they don't seem to be on the Skipton approved list. Were it to be true, what should we do? Do we simply find a different conveyancing practitioner that is on their panel or should we pay for separate representation, with Skipton appointing their own preferred conveyancing practitioner.

If you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is standard for the buyer’s lawyers to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a conveyancer has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the property lawyer to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the solicitor has to fulfill. Some mortgage companies now require their panel firms to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your conveyancing practitioner should contact Skipton to discover if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on Skipton's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Colerne lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.