Our son is purchasing a newly built flat in Old Windsor with a mortgage from Kent Reliance. His conveyancer has said that there is a delay in receiving the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. This document is news to me - what is it and who needs sight of it?

The document is intended to provide information to the main parties engaged in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the surveyor when asked. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

My husband and I wish to acquire a newly converted flat in Old Windsor with a residential mortgage from The Mortgage Works.We use our Old Windsor conveyancing solicitor but The Mortgage Works advised that she’s not on their "panel". we are left little option but to use a The Mortgage Works panel solicitor or retain our preferred solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to represent them. We feel as though this is unjust; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you contains terms and conditions, a common one being that lawyers must be on the The Mortgage Works conveyancing panel. Until recently, most mortgage companies had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could find one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for The Mortgage Works

Me and my brother own a semi-detached Georgian property in Old Windsor. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Accord Mortgages Ltd. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the matching address. Is it worth asking Accord Mortgages Ltd to clarify?

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Old Windsor and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the work.

I'm purchasing a new build house in Old Windsor with a mortgage from Godiva Mortgages Ltd. The sellers refused to budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The house builders rep advised me not inform my solicitor about the side-deal as it would jeopardize my mortgage with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

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 put an offer on a small detached house that appears to meet my requirements, at a reasonable price which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently discovered that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Old Windsor. Conveyancing solicitors have are about to be instructed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Old Windsor are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Old Windsor so you should seriously consider looking for a Old Windsor conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as obtaining the landlord’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the property is located on an estate. Your conveyancer will advise you fully on all the issues.

Old Windsor Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

Who manages the building? The best form of lease arrangement is where the freehold interest is owned by the leaseholders. In this scenario the lessees enjoy control and although a managing agent is often employed if it is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants. For many Old Windsor leaseholds the cost for major works are not included within maintenance charges, although a few managing agents in Old Windsor obliged leasehold owners to pay into a reserve fund created for the specific purpose of establishing a fund for major repairs or maintenance.