My wife and I are due to complete buying a property in Friern Barnet but as a result of damage from a small fire at the property I have managed to agree recompense from the owner of £3k in the form of a reduction in the price. This was going to be dealt with as part of amending the contract however Nottingham will not agree to this. Should they have been involved?

The conveyancing practitioner that is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel is obliged to disclose to Nottingham of any changes to the purchase price. If you were to refuse your lawyer to notify the reduction to Nottingham then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Nottingham and you would have to appoint a new conveyancing practitioner for your conveyancing in Friern Barnet.

I am helping my step-mother sell her house in Friern Barnet. Does the conveyancing solicitor arrange the EPC or do I organise this?

After the demise of HIPs, EPC’s remained a mandatory element of selling a house. An energy assessment needs to be commissioned in advance of the property being advertised. It is not a task that solicitors normally organise. If you are instructing a Friern Barnet conveyancing practitioner they may be able to arrange energy assessments given their relationships with long established local accredited person

We are getting the release of further monies on our mortgage from Nottingham as we wish to conduct alterations to our property in Friern Barnet. Are we obliged to appoint a bricks and mortar Friern Barnet solicitor on the Nottingham conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?

Nottingham don't usually require a member of their approved list of lawyers to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Nottingham panel.

I am expecting a AIP from Kent Reliance this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Kent Reliance recommend any Friern Barnet solicitors on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

You will need to appoint Friern Barnet solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Kent Reliance through the process.

I have been told that property searches are the primary reason for stalling in Friern Barnet conveyancing transactions. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released conclusions of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature within the common causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are not likely to be the root cause of delay in conveyancing in Friern Barnet.

I'm purchasing a new build house in Friern Barnet with the aid of help to buy. The developers would not reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The sale representative suggested that I not inform my solicitor about this side-deal as it may affect my loan with Nottingham Building Society. 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.

A licensed conveyancer dealt with my conveyancing in Friern Barnet seven years past having retained my deeds but has now closed – how do I get hold of these?

Title deeds, as such, no longer exist as the majority of homes in Friern Barnet are registered electronically at Land Registry. If you need to establish evidence of proprietorship or are selling or re-mortgaging your lawyer can obtain up to date copies of the register from the Land Registry in any case.

If you feel there may be other documents or you have any other queries please e-mail your request with details of the transaction and documents you need to filerequest@clc-uk.org. The CLC will let you know what information they have and any additional information they may need before they are in a position to identify and send the documents to you. Following an intervention it may take some time for the CLC to access archived files and documents, but your request will be actioned with reasonable haste.