My brother and I have just purchased a property in Wadhurst. We have since encountered a number of issues with the property which we believe were omitted in the conveyancing searches. What action can we take? Can you clarify the nature of searches that should have been conducted as part of conveyancing in Wadhurst?

The query is vague as to the nature of the problems and if they are unique to conveyancing in Wadhurst. Conveyancing searches and investigations undertaken during the legal transfer of property are supposed to help avoid problems. As part of the legal transfer of property, a seller completes a document referred to as a SPIF. If the information is incorrect, you could possibly take legal action against the seller for any losses that you have suffered. The survey should have identified any problems with the structure of the property. Assuming a detailed survey was carried out and the issues were not identified, you may have a claim against the surveyor. However, if you did not have a full survey, you may be responsible for fixing any defects that have now been noted. We would always encourage buyers to take every possible step to ensure they are completely aware of the condition of a property before purchase regardless of whether they are buying in Wadhurst.

Are the Wadhurst conveyancing solicitors identified as being on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel, together with their details provided by Virgin Money?

Wadhurst conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Virgin Money directly.

My wife and I are selling our house in Wadhurst and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. A high street Wadhurst conveyancer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers are using a web based conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Wadhurst. Having lived in Wadhurst for 4 years we know of no issue. Should we get in touch with our local Authority to get confirmation need.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. What do they say? You should enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)

I am buying a new build house in Wadhurst with a loan from Clydesdale. The developers would not move on the price so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The estate agent advised me not to tell my conveyancer about this deal as it would affect my loan with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

Am I better off to appoint a Wadhurst conveyancing lawyer who is local to the property I am purchasing? I have an old university friend who can perform the legal work however they are based a couple of hundredmiles drive away.

The benefit of a local Wadhurst conveyancing firm is that you can pop in to execute documents, hand in your identification documents and pester them where appropriate. Having local Wadhurst know how is a bonus. However it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If you know people who instructed your friend and they were impressed that must surpass using an unfamiliar Wadhurst conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being local.