We're in Kings Lynn, First time buyers buying with a mortgage (lender is Santander , and our solicitor is on the Santander conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no solicitor should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

A friend pointed out to me me that in purchasing a property in Kings Lynn there may be various restrictions limiting what one can do in terms of external alterations to the property. Is this right?

There are a number of properties in Kings Lynn which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Kings Lynn should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

Does a directory service exist listing Clydesdale panel conveyancers in Kings Lynn on the Building Society Association’s Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such tool on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. Very few lenders make their panel listings visible on the web. If you are looking for a Kings Lynn lawyer on the Clydesdale please use our facility.

is it true that all Kings Lynn solicitors on the Santander conveyancing panel are overseen by the SRA?

As solicitors, in order to be on the Santander approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the SRA. Many mortgage companies do list licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the practice would be governed by the CLC.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Kings Lynn?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Kings Lynn. 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 am buying my first flat in Kings Lynn with a loan from Bank of Ireland. The developers refused to reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The estate agent told me not to tell my solicitor about the deal as it may adversely affect my loan with the lender. 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.

In what way can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my commercial offices in Kings Lynn and how can you help?

The particular law that you refer to gives protection to commercial leaseholders, giving them the a statutory right to make a request to court for a continuation of occupancy when the lease comes to an end. There are certain specified grounds that a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are complex. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. Kings Lynn is one of our many locations in which our lawyers are located