I am getting a offer of a home loan from Santander. My intention is to employ the services of a Licensed Conveyancer in Gerrards Cross. Does the Santander Solicitor panel allow for conveyancers regulated by the CLC?

The Santander approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, associated to the Council or Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

Are the BSA planning on creating a search tool with a view to to identify firms on the Melton Mowbray Building Society conveyancing panel for instance in Gerrards Cross?

We are not aware of any plans on the part of the BSA to develop such a tool.

I am buying a new build house in Gerrards Cross with a mortgage from Britannia. The developers would not reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The estate agent told me not inform my solicitor about this extras as it may adversely affect 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.

I inherited a second floor flat in Gerrards Cross. In the absence of agreement between myself and the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the sum payable for the purchase of the freehold?

in cases where there is a missing landlord or where there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant statutes you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to decide the sum to be paid.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Gerrards Cross flat is Flats 8, 11 and 15 Craigmore Court 46 Murray Road in December 2013. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 8 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,438 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenants of Flat 11 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,791 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 15 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,638 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . This case affected 3 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 71 years.

What makes a Gerrards Cross lease unmortgageable?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Gerrards Cross. Most leases are unique and drafting errors can result in certain provisions are erroneous. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

Insurance obligations Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.

You may encounter difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Yorkshire Building Society, The Royal Bank of Scotland, and Godiva Mortgages Ltd all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the purchaser to pull out.

I see that you have a search directory listing firms on the lender conveyancing panel. Do Gerrards Cross conveyancing companies pay you a commission if I retain them for my conveyancing?

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