My partner and I changing mortgage lender for our flat in Bedmond with Barclays. We have a son approaching twenty who lives with us. Our solicitor has asked us to disclose anyone over the age of 17 other than ourselves who reside at the property. Our lawyer has now e-mailed a document for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the apartment is forfeited by the lender. I have two concerns (1) Is this form unique to the Barclays conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we bought 5 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this giving up his rights to inherit the property?

On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Barclays. This is solely used to protect Barclays if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Barclays had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Bedmond? What am I being asked for?

Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering regulations require solicitors and licensed conveyancers to check the identity of the potential client they are dealing with prior to agreeing to accepting their conveyancing instruction. The Terms of Engagement that you need to sign should reaffirm this. Your lawyer also has obligations to obtain certain documents in accordance with the CML Lenders Handbook requirements last updated on 1st December 2014. If you are unwilling to supply ID verification documents, your lawyer can not take you on as a client.

We are expecting a mortgage offer soon. The bank mentioned the mortgage came with free conveyancing. Does this mean I have to instruct their panel conveyancer as I would much rather instruct a specialised conveyancing solicitor in Bedmond?

You should check but the chances are that appoint one of their panel conveyancers if you accept the "fee-free" offer. Speak to the bank to see if they make available a cash alternative. Some banks have previously offered a £250 cashback as a further option in which case that money can go towards your preferred conveyancing solicitor in Bedmond.

I am looking into buying my first house which is in Bedmond and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Bedmond. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Bedmond area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Bedmond. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

I only have 72 years unexpired on my flat in Bedmond. I need to extend my lease but my freeholder is can not be found. What should I do?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to track down the landlord. For most situations an enquiry agent may be helpful to conduct investigations and to produce an expert document to be used as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor both on proving the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Bedmond.

I invested in buying a ground floor flat in Bedmond, conveyancing having been completed December 2010. 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? Comparable flats in Bedmond with an extended lease are worth £185,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 invoiced annually. The lease runs out on 21st October 2085

With 60 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £20,000 and £23,000 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above 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. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.