I am need of leasehold conveyancing for a flat in a fairly new development (seven years old) in Barnes. The vast majority the properties have already been occupied. Do I need carry out the conveyancing searches as part of conveyancing in Barnes?

You are putting yourself at risk in failing carrying out Barnes conveyancing searches. Without searches you have no clarity over flooding, environmental etc which may mean you walk away due to potential problems down the line. If you are buying without a mortgage there is no legal necessity to have them, but we would absolutely advise in the strongest possible terms that you have them. Where time pressures and driving down costs are primary concerns you should discuss with your solicitor about the options such as lack of search insurance available to you

I am purchasing my first flat in Barnes benefiting from help to buy. The sellers would not reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The estate agent told me not to tell my lawyer about the extras as it will jeopardize my loan with . Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what should have been a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Barnes is the location of the property. Is there any guidance you can impart?

Flying freeholds in Barnes are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Barnes you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Barnes may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

As co-executor for the will of my aunt I am disposing of a residence in Monmouth but I am based in Barnes. My solicitor (based 250 kilometers from merequires that I execute a stat dec prior to the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing practitioner in Barnes to attest and place their company stamp on the document?

strictly speaking you are unlikely to be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or solicitor will do regardless of whether they are Barnes based

Barnes Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

Are there any major works in the near future that will likely increase the maintenance charges? Its a good idea to discover as much as you can about the company managing the block as they will either make life much simpler or uncomfortable. Being a leasehold owner you are often at the mercy of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to day to day matters such as the tidiness of the communal areas. Ask prospective neighbours what they think of them. Finally, find out the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the appropriate party and specifically what you get for your money. Where a Barnes lease has less than 80 years it will affect the value of the property. Check with your lender that they are content with residual term of the lease. A short lease means that you will most likely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and it is worth finding out how much this would cost. For most Barneslease extensions you would need to own the property for a couple of years in order to be legally able to carry out a lease extension.