Having been referred to your service we were going to appoint conveyancing solicitor in Lingfield listed by you but have come across alternative costs illustrations on the internet look less expensive – why is this?

There are plenty of conveyancers advertising at first sight what seems to be very low prices. We would urge you to think long and hard as to how much you respect your own move to want to be penny wise pound foolish with regard to the standard of the legal work. Some embed fees well inside the terms of business. The solicitors that we put forward for conveyancing in Lingfield neverbehave this way.

As someone clueless as to the Lingfield conveyancing process what is your top tip you can give me concerning the ownership transfer in Lingfield

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Lingfield and elsewhere in Surrey is an adversarial process. In other words, when it comes to conveyancing there exists an abundance of opportunity for conflict between you and other parties involved in the legal transfer of property. For example, the seller, property agent and sometimes a lender. Selecting a lawyer for your conveyancing in Lingfield should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the SOLE party in the legal process whose role it is to act in your legal interests and to keep you safe.

On occasion a third party with a vested interest will try and persuade you that you should follow their advice. For instance, the estate agent may claim to be helping by suggesting your solicitor is dragging his heels. Or your financial adviser may try to convince you to do something that is against your lawyers guidance. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties when it comes to the legal transfer of property.

My wife and I have organised the release of further monies on our mortgage from Nottingham as we wish to carry out a loft conversion to our property in Lingfield. Are we obliged to select a high street Lingfield solicitor on the Nottingham conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Nottingham don't usually require firms on their conveyancing panel to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Nottingham panel.

My partner and I are at the point of looking at houses in Lingfield and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it premature to have a solicitor in place? I will be getting a mortgage with Coventry BS.

It would be advisable to commence your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the selling agent. As you are taking out a mortgage with Coventry BS, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel.

I have paid off my mortgage with Principality. I assume I don't need a Lingfield lawyer on the Principality panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your Principality mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Principality mortgage from the register. Principality, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Principality has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Principality has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I have a renovated Georgian property in Lingfield. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Barclays Direct. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Lingfield and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the situation with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the purchase.

I'm buying my first flat in Lingfield with the aid of help to buy. The sellers would not reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The sale representative advised me not to tell my lawyer about the deal as it could adversely affect my mortgage with Godiva Mortgages Ltd. Is this normal?.

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.