The owners of the house we are looking to purchase have appointed a conveyancing solicitor in Crook Log who has suggested a lock out contract with a non-refundable deposit 6,000. Are such agreements sensible?

This kind of arrangement is unusual in Crook Log, conveyancers are often inclined to veer clients away from them as they detract from the primary focus, namely conveyancing and if you end up having your deposit forfeited then the solicitor at best left with an upset client and at worst a litigious one. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that just because the vendor has signed an exclusivity agreement they will sell to you. They may be in contravention of the agreement if they are offered a big enough financial inducement to do so because an aggrieved buyer with the benefit of a exclusivitycontract will still be duty bound to show losses as a consequence of the breach and these may not compare to the financial upside that your vendor may gain by reneging on the contract, however morally shameful it undoubtedly is.

How can we tell if a Crook Log conveyancing solicitor on the TSB panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Crook Log getting recommendations is a good start. 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 which is cheap as chips. We would always advocate that you speak with the solicitor handling your conveyancing.

My husband and I have organised the release of further monies on our home loan from Nottingham as we want to conduct a loft conversion to our property in Crook Log. Do we need to choose a local Crook Log solicitor on the Nottingham conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?

Nottingham don't usually instruct firms on their approved list of lawyers to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Nottingham list.

I'm spending time looking at apartments in Crook Log and I am about to put in an offer. Is it too early to have a solicitor in place? I intend to finance via a home loan with Leeds Building Society.

You should start requesting conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the EA. Given that you are taking out a mortgage with Leeds Building Society, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

I am buying my first flat in Crook Log with a loan from Birmingham Midshires. The sellers refused to move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent told me not reveal to my solicitor about the side-deal as it could put at risk my loan with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

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 am looking for a flat up to £305k and identified one round the corner in Crook Log I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 51 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Crook Log suitable, 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 will likely be an issue. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you can request that they 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.

We are a fortnight into a leasehold purchase having been directed to solicitors by the estate agent to carry out the conveyancing in Crook Log. I am not happy. Could you you assist me in finding new solicitors?

A lawyer would need to be really poor in order to consider diss instructing them. Has the mortgage been issued? If so you must make them aware of the new contact details and get the offer are re-issued. Your conveyancer needs to be on the lenders approved list to avoid added fees and frustration. That should be your first question of the new conveyancers. The search tool can assist you in finding a lender approved conveyancer for your home move in Crook Log