We are acquiring a new build duplex in New Brighton and my solicitor is telling me that she is duty bound to the bank to reveal incentives from the seller. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to exchange contracts and I have no desire to delay matters. Is my lawyer right?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on a lender panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in New Brighton? What am I being asked for?

In order to comply with Money Laundering Regulations any New Brighton conveyancing firm will require proof of identity in all conveyancing transactions. This is usually dealt with by provision of a passport and an original bank statement or utility bill showing where you reside.

Under Money Laundering Regulations, property lawyers are duty bound to investigate not simply the identity of conveyancing clients but also the origin of the money that they receive in respect of any matter. Refusal to disclose this may result in your solicitor terminating their retainer with you, as clearly this will cause a conflict between the set Regulations and a refusal to disclose.

Your conveyancers will have an obligation to make a disclosure to the relevant authorities should they consider that any amounts received by them may contravene the Money Laundering Regulations.

The New Brighton conveyancing lawyers that I appointed last week on my house acquisition in New Brighton have without warning shut down. They were on acting for me because I had to have a firm on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel and my previous New Brighton lawyer was not. I cut them a cheque for £250 in advance. What do I do now?

Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then let them know straight away so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new solicitors may be able to assist.

I own a renovated Victorian property in New Brighton. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Alliance & Leicester . I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the matching property. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in New Brighton and other locations in 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 question the position with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the work.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on last month in what was supposed to be a simple, no chain conveyancing. New Brighton is where the house is located. Can you offer any guidance?

Flying freeholds in New Brighton are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside New Brighton you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in New Brighton may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.