Me and my partner are due to exchange on the purchase of a property in Berkshire but as a result of damage from the recent storms I have managed to agree compensation from the seller in the sum of three thousand pounds by way of a adjustment in the price. This was going to be dealt with as part of amending the contract but Lloyds are not allowing this. Why were they notified?

Any solicitor that is on the Lloyds approved list is required to inform Lloyds of any variations to the sale price. If you were to refuse your conveyancing practitioner to report the price change to Lloyds then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Lloyds and you would have to appoint a new property lawyer for your conveyancing in Berkshire.

A relative suggested that where I am purchasing in Berkshire I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Berkshire conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out important information about Berkshire around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Berkshire Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Berkshire.

Me and my brother purchased a terraced Victorian property in Berkshire. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and TSB. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the matching property. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Berkshire and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also check the position with your conveyancing solicitor who completed the work.

I am a sole trader planning to lease a unit on a shopping parade. Can you recommend lawyers offering no-move-no costs for non-domestic conveyancing in Berkshire for less than £2000?

We can recommend firms who have an in-depth of experience of commercial conveyancing in Berkshire, including the sale and acquisition of businesses as well as simply premises. If you are intending to purchase or lease a shop, pub, restaurant, office, retail unit or a whole business we will put you in touch with the right lawyer. As for the costs these will vary based on the structure and heads of terms of the proposed transaction. Let us have your details or telephone so as to enable us to provide you with comprehensive commercial conveyancing quote.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Berkshire from the perspective of expediting the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Berkshire can be bypassed where you instruct lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s permission? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Berkshire state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord approving such changes. Should you fail to have the consents to hand you should not contact the landlord without checking with your conveyancer before hand. Many freeholders or managing agents in Berkshire levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold home. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the actual amount of the charges. The management pack can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most usual cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Berkshire. If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should make sure that you hold the original share certificate. Arranging a duplicate share certificate can be a lengthy process and slows down many a Berkshire home move. Where a new share is needed, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this as soon as possible.

Berkshire Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before Purchasing

How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments? Is the freehold reversion owned collectively by the leaseholders? Please note that where the lease has less than 80 years it will affect the salability of the property. Check with your lender that they are willing to to proceed given the lease term. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will almost definitely require a lease extension at some point and it is worth discovering what this would cost. For most Berkshirelease extensions you would need to own the property for 24 months before you are entitled to exercise a lease extension.