I am expecting a mortgage with Halifax. I intend to employ the services of a Licensed Conveyancer in Colyers. Does the Halifax Conveyancing panel exclude Licensed Conveyancers?

The Halifax approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, represented by the CML or Building Society Association, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

A relative advised me that if I am buying in Colyers I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is sometimes included in the estimate for your Colyers conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out significant information about Colyers around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Colyers Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Colyers Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Colyers.

The deeds to our home can not be found. The solicitors who dealt with the conveyancing in Colyers 5 years ago have long since closed. What are my next steps?

Gone are the days when you need to hold title official documentation to evidence that you own the land or property, as the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.

I am purchasing a new build house in Colyers benefiting from help to buy. The sellers refused to move on the amount so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not disclose to my lawyer about this deal as it may adversely affect my loan with Birmingham Midshires. 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.

Should I choose a Colyers conveyancing practitioner in close proximity to the house I am purchasing? We have a good friend who can carry out the legal formalities however her office is 200kilometers drive away.

The primary upside of using a local Colyers conveyancing firm is that you can drop in to sign paperwork, present your identification documents and apply pressure on them where appropriate. They will also have local insight which is a bonus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have instructed your friend and in the main were happy that should trump using an unfamiliar Colyers conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being based in the area.