I am purchasing a new build apartment in Longfield and my solicitor is informing me that she has to the bank to disclose incentives from the builder. I am on a tight deadline to exchange and I don't want to delay deal. Is my lawyer right?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your conveyancing practitioner. A precondition to being on a lender panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

What is the difference between a licensed conveyancer and conveyancing solicitor in Longfield

There are two types of lawyers who can execute conveyancing in Longfield namely licenced conveyancers or solicitors. The two can provide conveyancing services that you need to complete the disposal or purchase of property. They are both required to execute Longfield conveyancing on similar standards and guidelines so you can be safe in the knowledge that your conveyancing will be professionally carried out and that all requirements and procedures should be accurately taken.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Nottingham. I assume I don't need a Longfield conveyancer on the Nottingham panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Nottingham mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Nottingham mortgage from the register. Nottingham, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Nottingham has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Nottingham has instructed the Land Registry to do so

Having digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Longfield solicitor - who is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

Clydesdale will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Clydesdale will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your solicitor will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Longfield postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Clydesdale, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Longfield.

I decided to have a survey completed on a house in Longfield in advance of appointing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. My surveyor has said that some banks tend refuse to issue a mortgage on this type of property.

It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different instructions for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you call us we can check via 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 Longfield. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Longfield especially if they are accustomed to such properties in Longfield.

My partner has encouraged me to appoint his conveyancing solicitors in Longfield. Do I follow his advice?

No doubt it’s preferable to find a conveyancing solicitor is to seek recommendations from friends or relatives who have experience in using the solicitor you're are thinking of instructing.

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Longfield. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in Longfield - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I bought a split level flat in Longfield, conveyancing was carried out February 1999. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Longfield with a long lease are worth £181,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease finishes on 21st October 2075

With 50 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £31,400 and £36,200 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

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