I am purchasing my first flat in Worcester with the aid of help to buy. The developers would not reduce the price so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The property agent suggested that I not reveal to my lawyer about the extras as it would put at risk my loan with the lender. 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 have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and identified one close by in Worcester I like with a park and railway links nearby, however it's only got 49 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Worcester for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?

Should you need a mortgage that many years will likely be problematic. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you can request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.

What does commercial conveyancing in Worcester cover?

Worcester conveyancing for business premises covers a broad range of services, offered by qualified solicitors, relating to business property. For example, this area of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more commonly, the transfer of existing leases or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial mortgages and the termination of leases.

We're new to the buying process - had an offer accepted, but the property agent informed us that the owners will only proceed if we instruct the agent's recommended solicitors as they are insisting on a ‘quick sale’. Our preferred option is to instruct a local solicitor who is familiar with conveyancing in Worcester

It is improbable the owners are driving this. If they want ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a motivated purchaser is going to damage their objectives. Contact the sellers directly and make the point that (a)you are motivated purchasers (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you are chain free (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)however you will continue to use your own,trusted Worcester conveyancing firm - as opposed tothe ones that will give the estate agent a introducer fee or hit his conveyancing targets set by senior management.

My husband and I may need to sub-let our Worcester 1st floor flat temporarily due to a career opportunity. We used a Worcester conveyancing firm in 2004 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to seek any advice as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

A lease dictates the relationship between the freeholder and you the leaseholder; specifically, it will say if subletting is banned, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The rule is that if the lease contains no specific ban or restriction, subletting is permitted. The majority of leases in Worcester do not contain subletting altogether – such a provision would adversely affect the market value the flat. In most cases there is simply a requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly supplying a duplicate of the tenancy agreement.

I inherited a studio flat in Worcester, conveyancing formalities finalised 9 years ago. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Similar properties in Worcester with a long lease are worth £190,000. The ground rent is £65 charged once a year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2086

You have 61 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £19,000 and £22,000 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 cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.