I am getting a offer of a home loan from Halifax. My intention is to retain the legal services of a Licensed Conveyancer in Pagham. Does the Halifax Conveyancing panel exclude Licensed Conveyancers?

The Halifax approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, represented by the CML or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.

Our god-son is buying a newly built flat in Pagham with a mortgage from Coventry BS. His solicitor has advised him of a delay in completing the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. What is this document - I have never come across this before?

The document is intended to provide information to the main parties engaged in the transaction. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Coventry BS 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 Coventry BS conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

We are expecting a mortgage offer soon. The lender mentioned the mortgage came with free conveyancing. Does this mean I have to appoint their panel conveyancer as I would prefer to appoint a specialised conveyancing solicitor in Pagham?

You should check but the the likelihood is that appoint one of their panel solicitors where you take up the "fee-free" offer. Speak to the lender to explore if they offer you a cash alternative. In the past a few lenders offered a £250 cashback as an alternative in which case that money can go towards the cost for your conveyancing solicitor in Pagham.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £305k and found one close by in Pagham I like with amenity areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 52 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Pagham suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?

If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you can ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Pagham. Before I set the wheels in motion I would like to find out the number of years remaining on the lease.

If the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Pagham - 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 inherited a 1st floor flat in Pagham, conveyancing formalities finalised 4 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Comparable flats in Pagham with an extended lease are worth £202,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2081

With only 56 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £29,500 and £34,000 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.