I am buying my first flat in Buckfastleigh with a mortgage from Leeds Building Society. The builders would not reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative suggested that I not reveal to my solicitor about this extras as it could jeopardize my mortgage with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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.

Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Buckfastleigh in advance of instructing lawyers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. The surveyor advised that some mortgage companies may not give a mortgage on such a premises.

It varies from the lender to lender. Bank of Scotland has different instructions from Nationwide. If you contact us we can investigate further with the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Buckfastleigh. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Buckfastleigh to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

Am I right to be concerned about brokers that I am dealing with are suggesting an online conveyancing firm as opposed to a High Street Buckfastleigh conveyancing firm?

As with many service providers, often recommendations from relatives can be worth their weight in gold. But there are lots of people with a keen interest in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders might all put forward lawyers to use. Sometimes these lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but sometimes there behind the scenes financial incentive behind the endorsement. You are free to select your own conveyancer. You need to be aware that many banks have an approved list of lawyers you have to use for the lender related work in your conveyancing.

Is it best to instruct a Buckfastleigh conveyancing practitioner who is local to the property I am hoping to buy? I have an old university friend who can deal with the legal formalities however his firm is located 400miles away.

The primary upside of using a local Buckfastleigh conveyancing practice is that you can drop in to sign documents, deliver your identification documents and pester them where appropriate. Having local Buckfastleigh know how is a benefit. However it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If other friends have instructed your friend and on the whole were content that must trump using an unfamiliar Buckfastleigh conveyancing solicitor just because they are Buckfastleigh based.

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Buckfastleigh. Before I get started I would like to find out the number of years remaining on the lease.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and most are in Buckfastleigh - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details 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.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Buckfastleigh - A selection of Questions you should consider before buying

Does the lease contain onerous restrictions? The best form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this arrangement the tenants have being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is usually employed if the building is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants. How much is the ground rent and service charge?