We were just about to exchange contracts for a freehold house in London. We have hit a problem. The loan offer with Barnsley Building Society runs out on 2/2/2026 but the vendors are suggesting a completion date of 4/2/2026. Can one prolong the mortgage expiry date?

The best person to address this question is your lawyer who should calculate if they better off negotiating with the mortgage company, owner’s solicitors, property agents or conceivably all parties given the circumstances your conveyancing to date.

Will my conveyancer be asking questions regarding flooding during the conveyancing in London.

Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors dealing with homes in London. Some people will acquire a property in London, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or sell the premises. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Solicitors are not best placed to give advice on flood risk, however there are a number of searches that can be undertaken by the buyer or by their lawyers which can give them a better appreciation of the risks in London. The standard property information forms supplied to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a usual question of the vendor to determine if the property has suffered from flooding. If the residence has been flooded in past and is not notified by the vendor, then a purchaser could bring a claim for damages as a result of such an misleading answer. The purchaser’s conveyancers should also carry out an enviro report. This will disclose whether there is any known flood risk. If so, additional inquiries will need to be made.

I have recentlyfound out that Wolstenholmes have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in London for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 10 months ago. How can I establish that the property is in my name in the name of the former proprietor?

The quickest way to see if the premises is in your name, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of London conveyancing specialists.

I'm purchasing my first flat in London benefiting from help to buy. The builders would not move on the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent told me not inform my lawyer about the extras as it would put at risk my mortgage with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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 am hoping to exchange soon on a leasehold property in London. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they are sending me a report next week. What should I be looking out for?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in London should include some of the following:

Ground rent - how much and when is collected, and be on notice if this is subject to change Responsibility to repair and maintain the block. It is important that you know which party is duty bound to repair and maintenance of all parts of the block and communal areas Does the lease require carpeting throughout thus preventing wood flooring? Whether your lease provides for a sinking fund? It needs to be made clear to you whether the lease allows you to add or upgrade anything in the flat- you should know whether any restrictions applies to all alterations or limited to structural alteration, and whether licences for alterations is required

I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord for a lease extension without getting anywhere. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on such issues? Can you recommend a London conveyancing firm to help?

Most certainly. We can put you in touch with a London conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a London residence is 20 Avonwick Road in July 2013. The Tribunal was dealing with an application under Section 26 of the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 for a determination of the freehold value of the property. It was concluded that the price to be paid was Fifteen Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventy (£15,970) divided as to £8,200 for Flat 20 and £7,770 for Flat 20A This case related to 1 flat. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 73.26 years.