I'm buying a new build house in Allendale with the aid of help to buy. The builders refused to move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The sale representative suggested that I not reveal to my lawyer about the side-deal as it will impact my mortgage with Accord Mortgages Ltd. Should I keep quiet?.

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.

Taking into account that I will soon spend £400,000 on a house in Allendale I wish to talk to a conveyancer concerning thehome move ahead of instructing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

This is something that we recommend - we would be happy to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you speaking to the lawyer due to be doing your property ownership legalities in Allendale.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is an important individual, not a file number. The practices that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are calculated and presented to you for your conveyancing in Allendale should be the figure that you end up paying.

I need to find a conveyancing solicitor for some conveyancing in Allendale. I have chance upon a web site which seems to have the ideal solution If it is possible to get all this stuff done via web that would be ideal. Should I be concerned? What should out be looking out for?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my basement flat in Allendale. Conveyancing has not commenced, however I have recently received a half-yearly maintenance charge invoice – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge the invoice as normal as all rents and maintenance invoices should be allotted on completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I invested in buying a ground floor flat in Allendale, conveyancing was carried out 5 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 flats in Allendale with an extended lease are worth £227,000. The ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2097

You have 72 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.

Much to my surprise my conveyancing solicitor in Allendale is asking me for identification documents saying that this is part of his requirements as a conveyancer on the mortgage company Solicitor panel. This is news to me - can I refuse?

Due to Money Laundering Regulations your conveyancing lawyer is duty bound to confirm positively your identification when entering into a business relationship with you. It is a criminal offence if your lawyer not do this. If you do not provide ID early in the transaction the solicitor must refuse to act for you. It’s unlikely a lawyer will turn you away if you come to the first meeting without relevant ID but you will have to produce it at some point so you might as well bring it with you to the initial meeting so the lawyer can tick the ID verification box and start sorting out the conveyancing straight away. If you are getting a mortgage, your lawyer also has to check ID documents to satisfy the lender. This is not specific to conveyancing in Allendale