We had chosen conveyancing lawyers locally in Crowborough on the RBS solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a further sum for dealing with the RBS mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by RBS?

Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your property lawyer is entitled to levy a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by RBS but by your Crowborough solicitor. Some firms on the RBS panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.

We were going to get a AIP from Santander this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Santander recommend any Crowborough solicitors on the Santander conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

You will need to appoint Crowborough solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Santander conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Santander through the process.

My fiancee and I are spending time looking at houses in Crowborough and I am about to put in an offer. Is it wise to have a conveyancer on ‘stand by’? I am planning to take a mortgage with Barclays.

It would be advisable to commence your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the estate agent. Given that you are taking out a mortgage with Barclays, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Barclays conveyancing panel.

The deeds to my house can not be found. The solicitors who handled the conveyancing in Crowborough 4 years ago have long since closed. Will I be able to sell the house?

Gone are the days when you need to have the physical official documentation to evidence that you own the land or property, given that the Land Registry hold details of all registered land or property electronically.

I'm buying a new build house in Crowborough with a mortgage from Aldermore. The builders would not reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not disclose to my solicitor about the extras as it would put at risk my loan with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

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 work for a busy estate agent office in Crowborough where we have witnessed a few leasehold sales jeopardised due to short leases. I have been given contradictory information from local Crowborough conveyancing firms. Can you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can instigate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

Crowborough Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

Is anyone aware of any major works in the near future that will likely increase the maintenance costs? On the whole the cost for major works are not included within service charges, although a few managing agents in Crowborough obliged tenants to pay into a sinking fund and this is used to offset against major repairs or maintenance. The prefered form of lease structure is where the freehold reversion is owned by the leaseholders. In this arrangement the leaseholders have control and notwithstanding that a managing agent is often employed where the building is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent employed by the leaseholders.

Why is New Build conveyancing in Crowborough more costly?

Conveyancing in Crowborough for recently converted or new build premises can sometimes involve adoption of highways & drains, building regulations approval, planning permission, new build warranties such NHBC as well as further investigations and contractual considerations.