We are about to exchange on the purchase of a house in Diss but as a consequence of damage from the recent storms I have was able negotiate reparation from the vendor in the sum of £3k in the form of a reduction in the price. This was going to be dealt with as part of a side agreement yet Clydesdale are not allowing this. Why were they notified?

The conveyancing practitioner that is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel is duty bound to advise Clydesdale of any changes to the sale price. If you were to refuse your solicitor to notify the reduction to Clydesdale then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Clydesdale and you would have to appoint a new conveyancing practitioner for your conveyancing in Diss.

I have been told that property searches are the number one cause of obstruction in Diss house deals. Is this right?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released findings of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the most frequent causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Searches are unlikely to be the root cause of delay in conveyancing in Diss.

I have a semi-detached Edwardian property in Diss. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Clydesdale. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold with the matching property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be 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 Diss 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 purchasers. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who completed the work.

I am purchasing my first flat in Diss with a loan from Birmingham Midshires. The builders refused to reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The sale representative advised me not inform my solicitor about the side-deal as it may jeopardize my mortgage with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

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.

Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Diss before appointing solicitors. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. My surveyor has said that some mortgage companies tend not issue a loan on this type of property.

It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Halifax. If you contact us we can check via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Diss. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Diss to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.