My wife and I are acquiring a newly constructed apartment in Teignmouth and my lawyer is advising me that she is duty bound to the bank to disclose incentives from the developer. I am on a tight deadline to exchange contracts and my preference is not to prolong matters. is my lawyer playing by the book?

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

My grandfather passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Teignmouth. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £5k. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Nottingham, pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?

If you intend to refinance then Nottingham will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Nottingham conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Nottingham mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

How does conveyancing in Teignmouth differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Teignmouth come to us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is constructed. This is because new home sellers in Teignmouth tend to buy the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Teignmouth or who has acted in the same development.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and identified one close by in Teignmouth I like with open areas and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 52 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Teignmouth in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?

Should you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be an issue. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you can request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

My wife and I are searching for a dependable conveyancing solicitor in Teignmouth to buy a house. I I am fearful of being overcharged and there's various Teignmouth conveyancing organisations to choose from...who do I opt for?

Where you have never used a conveyancing practitioner in the past, a trustworthy recommendation through family or friends is a great place to start and is often a good indicator of quality. Alternatively, consult the Law Society’s regional list of lawyers in Teignmouth or use our search facility to select a conveyancing solicitor in Teignmouth.