Just been in touch with my conveyancing solicitor in St Austell who conducted the legals 18 months ago and wanted a conveyancing costs illustration based on an identical type of house move (a leasehold property and a freehold property) of similar values with a mortgage from Bank of Ireland. It looks as though am now being charged twice the amount. Should I look for an alternative firm of conveyancing solicitor?

The estimate does seem a tad on the high side. Where you are happy to spend time scrutinising charges you might trim some of the cost by as much as a hundred pounds. That being said, if you were satisfied with the legal work the firm gave you couldlive to regret choosing an an unknown conveyancer. Remember to be sure that the solicitor can also act for Bank of Ireland. Do use our search tool to locate a St Austell conveyancing firm on the Bank of Ireland approved list of lawyers, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in St Austell.

I am purchasing a house without a mortgage in St Austell. I have been residing for the last 20 years in St Austell. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. As I have knowledge of the road and vicinity intimately must I have all the conveyancing searches?

Provided that you do not need a home loan, then almost all of the St Austell conveyancing searches are at your discretion. Your solicitor will 'advise', no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches carried out, but he has a professional duty to take that path of encouragement . Do consider; if you are going to sell the house at a future date, it could be of interest to your future buyer what the searches contain. Sometimes premises with no practical issues can still reveal negative search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in St Austell will provide you some constructive advice in this regard.

We note that you have a post code search directory listing law firms on the UBS conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a referral fee if I retain them for our conveyancing in St Austell?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the UBS conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in St Austell.

I am helping my mother sell her house in St Austell. Does the conveyancing solicitor order an energy assessment or do I organise this?

Following the demise of Home Packs, EPC’s became a compulsory component of selling a property. An energy performance certificate must be to hand prior to the property being marketed. This is not as aspect of the sale process that solicitors normally arrange. Where you are using a St Austell conveyancing practitioner they might help arrange energy performance certificates given their relationships with reputable St Austell energy assessors

I have been advised by my solicitor that breach of easement insurance is necessary on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in St Austell?

The appropriate level of breach of easement indemnity insurance depends on who your lender is. It would differ for example between Birmingham Midshires and The Mortgage Works. Conveyancing solicitors as opposed to borrowers take out such policies.

It is not clear whether my lender requires a lease extension. I have called into my local St Austell bank branch on numerous occasions and was reassured it wasn't a problem and they will lend. My St Austell conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they refuse to lend based on their published requirements. I have no idea who is right.

As long as the conveyancing practitioner is on the bank panel, they must adhere to the CML Handbook specifications for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

I'm purchasing a new build house in St Austell benefiting from help to buy. The builders would not budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent told me not to tell my solicitor about this extras as it may jeopardize my mortgage with Britannia. 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.