Me and my partner are due to complete buying a property in Hartfield but as a result of wreckage from the recent storms I have managed to agree recompense from the vendor in the sum of £2k by way of a reduction in the price. I had intended this to be addressed as part of a side agreement however UBS are not allowing this. Should they have been involved?

Your conveyancer being on the UBS conveyancing panel is duty bound to disclose to UBS of any variations to the sale price. If you were to refuse your lawyer to report the reduction to UBS then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, UBS and you would have to appoint a new solicitor for your conveyancing in Hartfield.

As someone clueless as to the Hartfield conveyancing process what is your top tip you can impart for the legal transfer of property in Hartfield

Not many law firms or advisers will tell you this but conveyancing in Hartfield and elsewhere in East Sussex is an adversarial process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there exists lots of room for conflict between you and others involved in the transaction. For instance, the vendor, property agent and even potentially the mortgage company. Selecting a solicitor for your conveyancing in Hartfield an important selection as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONLY party in the process whose role it is to look after your best interests and to keep you safe.

There is a definite emergence of a "blame" culture- someone has to be blamed for the process taking so long. We recommend that you should always trust your conveyancer above the other parties in the conveyancing process.

I used Arc property Solicitors a few years past for my conveyancing in Hartfield. I now require my papers but the law firm has closed. What do I do?

You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Hartfield of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

Am I best advised to choose a Hartfield conveyancing lawyer who is local to the property I am hoping to buy? I have an old university friend who can handle the conveyancing however they are based 200miles away.

The benefit of a high street Hartfield conveyancing practice is that you can visit the firm to execute paperwork, deliver your identification documents and pester them where appropriate. They will also have local intelligence which is a benefit. That being said it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have instructed your friend and on the whole were happy that should outweigh using an unknown Hartfield conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being round the corner.

In relation to leasehold conveyancing in Hartfield what are the most common lease defects?

Leasehold conveyancing in Hartfield is not unique. All leases are individual and drafting errors can result in certain sections are missing. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

A provision to repair to or maintain elements of the premises

A defective lease can cause issues when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Barclays , The Mortgage Works, and Barclays Direct all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the buyer to withdraw.

Hartfield Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before Purchasing

The best form of lease structure is where the freehold interest is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this situation the tenants benefit from being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is often retained if it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves. It is important to be aware whether changing the roof or some other major work is due shortly to be shared by the leaseholders and could well materially impact the level of the maintenance charges or require a specific payment.