We were just about to exchange contracts for a ground floor flat in Stechford. We have hit a problem. Our mortgage offer with Bank of Ireland expires on 10/10/2025 but the owners are insisting on a completion date of 14/10/2025. Is it possible to extend the mortgage expiry date?

The person best placed to address this issue is your conveyancer who will hopefully calculate if he or she is should be discussing with the lender, vendor’s lawyers, selling agents or indeed all three given the circumstances your transaction as of today.

My wife and I are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our house in Stechford and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was constructed land that was not decontaminated. Any local conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the purchasers instructed a nationwide conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Stechford. Having lived in Stechford for three years we know of no issue. Should we contact our local Authority to seek clarification need.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You should enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same ailment)

It has been 4 months following my purchase conveyancing in Stechford took place. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I'm purchasing a new build house in Stechford benefiting from help to buy. The builders refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The house builders rep advised me not to tell my solicitor about the extras as it will put at risk my loan 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've recently bought a leasehold property in Stechford. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Leasehold Conveyancing in Stechford - Sample of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

Please note if it is fewer than 80 years it will impact the salability of the property. Check with your lender that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. A short lease means that you will most likely need a lease extension sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of how much this would cost. Remember, in most cases you would need to own the property for two years in order to be entitled to exercise a lease extension. Does the lease contain onerous restrictions?