My partner and I are purchasing a brand new duplex in Richmond and my solicitor is advising me that she is duty bound to the mortgage company to reveal incentives from the builder. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to sign contracts and my preference is not to prolong deal. Is my lawyer right?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your solicitor. 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.

Can I use your services to find a Conveyancing solicitor in Richmond even where I’m not buying or disposing of a house, for instance if I wish to buy an office in Richmond with a loan from Godiva Mortgages Ltd?

Our search tool is primarily there to get a quote from domestic conveyancing solicitors in Richmond but we have set out at the bottom of this page a few Richmond commercial conveyancing firms. You should enquire with the solicitors directly to establish if they can also act for Godiva Mortgages Ltd

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Richmond?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Richmond. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I'm purchasing my first flat in Richmond with a loan from Nationwide Building Society. The sellers refused to move on the amount so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not disclose to my solicitor about this side-deal as it may put at risk my mortgage with Nationwide Building Society. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

Is it best to appoint a Richmond conveyancing lawyer in close proximity to the house I am buying? An old friend can carry out the legal work but they are based 400kilometers away.

The benefit of a local Richmond conveyancing practice is that you can drop in to execute documents, hand in your identification documents and pester them where appropriate. Having local Richmond know how is a benefit. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If other friends have used your friend and in the main were content that should trump using an unknown Richmond conveyancing solicitor just because they are Richmond based.