My brother-in-law has suggested I instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Beaufort. I I am struggling to find out if they are on the Virgin Money approved list of lawyers. Could you assist?

You should contact your lawyer and ask them whether they can act for the bank. Alternatively you should get in touch with Virgin Money who may be able to confirm.

We are selling our home in Beaufort and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was constructed on contaminated land. Any high street Beaufort conveyancer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers used a web based conveyancing practice as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Beaufort. Having lived in Beaufort for three years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to obtain clarification that there is no issue.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer already. Are they able to advise? You must check with 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 life insurance to cover that same sickness)

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Beaufort?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Beaufort. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I am purchasing a new build house in Beaufort with a mortgage from Yorkshire Building Society. The sellers refused to move on the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent suggested that I not disclose to my lawyer about this extras as it may adversely affect my mortgage with Yorkshire Building Society. Is this normal?.

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.

I've recently bought a leasehold property in Beaufort. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

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. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element 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).

I bought a 1 bedroom flat in Beaufort, conveyancing was carried out 5 years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Comparable flats in Beaufort with a long lease are worth £181,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 charged once a year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2074

With 51 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £30,400 and £35,200 plus legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.