I require conveyancing for an apartment in a relatively new development (seven years old) in Bearsted. The vast majority the flats have already been disposed of. Is it strictly necessary to order neighbourhood searches as part of conveyancing in Bearsted?

You would be opening yourself up to an unnecessary risk in failing carrying out Bearsted 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 mortgage free there is no legal necessity to have them, but we would strongly advise in no uncertain terms that your conveyancer conducts them. Where time pressures and expenses are primary concerns you should consider with your conveyancer about the possibility of search insurance

Me and my brother have a 4 bedroom Victorian property in Bearsted. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Alliance & Leicester . I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Bearsted and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also enquire as to the situation with your conveyancing practitioner who completed the work.

I am buying my first flat in Bearsted benefiting from help to buy. The sellers refused to reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The estate agent suggested that I not inform my conveyancer about this side-deal as it may affect my loan 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.

We are 14 days into a leasehold purchase having been referred to conveyancers by the selling agent to carry out the conveyancing in Bearsted. We are not happy. Could you help me find new conveyancers?

A solicitor would need to be really bad to suggest replacing them. Has the loan offer been generated? In the event that it has you will need to advise them of the new contact details and have the loan are re-issued. Your solicitor ideally should be on the lenders panel to avoid added fees and complications. So that should be your starting point. The find a solicitor tool will assist you in finding a bank approved conveyancer for your home move in Bearsted

Last March I purchased a leasehold house in Bearsted. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I purchased a ground floor flat in Bearsted, conveyancing was carried out in 2002. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Corresponding flats in Bearsted with over 90 years remaining are worth £186,000. The ground rent is £55 yearly. The lease expires on 21st October 2077

With just 52 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £29,500 and £34,000 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.