My mortgage broker has requested my Harpenden lawyer’ panel member for the Santander conveyancing panel. How do I find this out. I have contacted my local Harpenden branch but they cant find it on their system.

You are best placed to get this information from your Harpenden lawyer . They retain a central record lender panel numbers.

In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Harpenden? Why is this being asked of me?

To satisfy the Money Laundering Regulations any Harpenden conveyancing firm will require proof of identity in all conveyancing matters. This is normally dealt with by provision of a passport and an original bank statement or utility account showing where you live.

In accordance with Money Laundering Regulations, property lawyers are duty bound to validate not simply the ID of conveyancing clients but also the origin of fund that they receive in respect of any matter. An unwillingness to disclose this will result in your lawyer terminating their relationship with you, as clearly this will cause a conflict between the set Regulations and a refusal to disclose.

Your property lawyers will have an obligation to inform the appropriate authorities should they believe that any amounts received by them may contravene the Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules.

We're in Harpenden, First timers 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 lawyer 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.

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

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Harpenden. 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…’

I'm buying a new build house in Harpenden benefiting from help to buy. The sellers would not move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The sale representative suggested that I not reveal to my solicitor about the deal as it may impact my mortgage with the lender. 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.