I just bought a house at auction in Mitcham. Conveyancing is necessary. What is next?

Now that you have for in every practical sense signed on the dotted line you now have to find a conveyancing practitioner quickly as you are faced with a fast approaching deadline in which to complete the transaction. All auction property should have an associated auction set of papers. This will include the copy title deeds, local authority and drainage searches. In the case of leasehold property the conveyancing pack may provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing paperwork pertinent to leasehold premises. You need to hand this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor ASAP. Do make sure that you have funds organised to complete the transaction on the set completion date.

How can we know in advance if a Mitcham conveyancing solicitor on the Yorkshire BS panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Mitcham getting recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always recommend that you speak with the solicitor handling your transaction.

I am expecting a AIP from Barclays this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Barclays recommend any Mitcham solicitors on the Barclays conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

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

My wife and I have a renovated Edwardian house in Mitcham. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Bank of Ireland. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the matching address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You need to assess 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 Mitcham and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the purchase.

I am purchasing a new build house in Mitcham with the aid of help to buy. The builders refused to budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The sale representative suggested that I not disclose to my lawyer about this side-deal as it could put at risk my loan with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £195,000 and identified one close by in Mitcham I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, the downside is that it only has 52 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Mitcham for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?

Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease may be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you can ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.

We're FTB’s - had an offer accepted, yet the estate agent advised that the vendor will only move forward if we instruct their recommended conveyancers as they need an ‘expedited deal’. My instinct tells me that we should use a high street solicitor with experience of conveyancing in Mitcham

It is improbable the vendors are driving this. Should the vendor desire ‘a quick sale', alienating a motivated purchaser is not the way to achieve this. Speak to the owners direct and make the point that (a)you are genuine purchasers (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you have nothing to sell (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)however you intend to use your preferred Mitcham conveyancing firm - not the ones that will give their estate agent a kickback or meet his conveyancing targets demanded by head office.