I require conveyancing for an apartment in a relatively new development (five years built) in Gravesend. The vast majority the properties have already been disposed of. Do I need carry out the local searches as part of conveyancing in Gravesend?

If you are acquiring a property with the assistance of a mortgage, your mortgage company will require some (many) of the searches so you'll have no choice. If not, then Gravesend conveyancing searches are optional. No doubt your conveyancer, will ’encourage’, perhaps strongly, that you should not go ahead without searches, but he or she has a professional duty to do this. One thing to bear in mind; if you are likely to sell the house one day, it may be of interest to your future buyer what the searches contain. Sometimes houses with no practical issues can still throw up adverse search results. But if you demand that your lawyer to proceed without searches then your lawyer will have to follow your instructions or you may need to find a new lawyer for your conveyancing in Gravesend.

We're in Gravesend, First time buyers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Santander , and our solicitor is on the Santander conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancing practitioner should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

We are purchasing a end of terrace house in Gravesend. Our aim is to carry out an extension to the side at the house.Will legal investigations on the property involve enquiries to determine if these works are permitted?

Your conveyancer should review the deeds as conveyancing in Gravesend can on occasion reveal restrictions in the title documents which restrict certain alterations or necessitated the consent of another owner. Some extensions call for local authority planning consent and approval in accordance building regulations. Many locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

I'm in the process of looking at flats in Gravesend and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it advisable to have my lawyer on ‘stand by’? I intend to finance via a mortgage with Virgin Money.

You should start requesting conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the estate agent. As you are seeking a mortgage with Virgin Money, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.

I can not fathom if my bank obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called my Gravesend bank branch on numerous occasions and was told it does not impact the mortgage offer and they would lend. My Gravesend conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they refuse to lend based on their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?

The conveyancer must comply with the CML Handbook Part 2 requirements for your bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

We are buying a property and the solicitor has mentioned Chancel Repair to which the house may be obligated to contribute to given it’s proximity to the area of such a church. He has suggested insurance. Is this strictly warranted for conveyancing in Gravesend

Unless a previous purchase of the property took place post 12 October 2013 you could expect lawyers handling conveyancing in Gravesend to remain encouraging a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.

Is planning permission necessary to convert a house into a couple of appartments in Gravesend? This has been carried out to a house next door to my house in Gravesend and was ignorant of the conversion until the works were complete.

Planning Consent yes. Building Regulations yes.