I am need of leasehold conveyancing for a flat in a relatively new development (five years old) in Wormwood Scrubs. The vast majority the properties are already disposed of. Do I need carry out the local searches as part of conveyancing in Wormwood Scrubs?

You are opening yourself up to an unnecessary risk in failing carrying out Wormwood Scrubs conveyancing searches. Without searches you have no clarity over flooding, environmental etc which may mean you walk away due to potential problems down the line. If you are buying mortgage free there is no legal requirement to have them, but we would absolutely advise in no uncertain terms that you have them. If time pressures and driving down costs are top of your issues you should consider with your lawyer about the options such as contingency insurance available to you

Can you help - my lawyer advises that lack of planning permission insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Wormwood Scrubs conveyancing?

The right level of lack of planning permission indemnity insurance depends on who your lender is. It would differ for example between HSBC Bank and Coventry Building Society. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to borrowers take out such policies.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Wormwood Scrubs off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Coventry BS. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Coventry BS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel.

After what feels like an age I have had an offer on an apartment in Wormwood Scrubs accepted, but there is a chain. The owners have placed an offer on a property, however it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other apartments in the pipeline. I have instructed a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Wormwood Scrubs. What should be my next step? At what stage should I apply for the mortgage with Co-operative?

It is understandable to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (mortgage application is in the region of £1k, then valuation, Wormwood Scrubs conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you should check that your property lawyer is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Concerning the subsequent steps this very much dictated by the circumstances of your case, motivation for the property and on the state of the market. In a rising market many purchasers will apply for the mortgage with Co-operative and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their property lawyer to move forward with searches.

My friend recommended that if I am purchasing in Wormwood Scrubs I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

A search of this type is occasionally included in the estimate for your Wormwood Scrubs conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Wormwood Scrubs around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Wormwood Scrubs Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Wormwood Scrubs.

I'm purchasing a new build house in Wormwood Scrubs with a loan from Barclays Direct. The sellers refused to budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The property agent told me not disclose to my lawyer about the deal as it may affect my mortgage with the lender. 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.

I am using a search engine for the phrase conveyancing in Wormwood Scrubs it brings up numerous solicitorsin the vicinity. With so much choice what is the best way to find the right conveyancing solicitor for purchase transaction?

The best method of finding the right conveyancer is through a trusted referral, so ask friends and family who have acquired a property in Wormwood Scrubs or a local estate agent or mortgage broker. Fees for conveyancing in Wormwood Scrubs vary, so it's a good idea to secure a minimum of three estimates from different property lawyers. Make sure that you know that the fees are fixed.