I am buying a property mortgage free in Basildon. I have resided for the previous 20 years in Basildon. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. As I have knowledge of the area and road very well should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?

Provided that you do not need a mortgage, then all but one or two of the Basildon conveyancing searches are optional. Your solicitor will 'advise', no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches completed, but she has a professional duty to do this. One thing to take into account; if you are going to sell the house in the future, it could be of importance to your future buyer what the searches determine. On occasion properties with functional issues can still throw up detrimental search results. A competent conveyancing solicitor in Basildon will provide you some practical guidance concerning this.

My grandfather passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Basildon. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £5k. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to , pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?

If you intend to refinance then will insist on your using a conveyancer on the conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

I am purchasing my first flat in Basildon with a mortgage from . The builders refused to move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not disclose to my lawyer about this side-deal as it would impact my mortgage with the bank. Is this normal?.

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.

Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Basildon ahead of appointing solicitors. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. My surveyor has said that some banks tend not give a loan on this type of house.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to telephone us we can look into this further with the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Basildon. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Basildon to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.

I invested in buying a leasehold flat in Basildon, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Comparable flats in Basildon with a long lease are worth £165,000. The ground rent is £45 yearly. The lease ends on 21st October 50

With just 50 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £36,100 and £41,800 plus costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.