My relative suggested that if I am buying in Caversham Heights I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Caversham Heights conveyancing searches. It is a large report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about Caversham Heights around the property and the people living there. It incorporates 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 House Prices, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Caversham Heights.

I'm buying a new build house in Caversham Heights with a mortgage from TSB. The builders would not move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The sale representative advised me not disclose to my solicitor about the side-deal as it would affect 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.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and found one round the corner in Caversham Heights I like with open areas and railway links nearby, however it's only got 52 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Caversham Heights in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?

If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will be an issue. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you can request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.

I need to retain a conveyancing solicitor for leasehold conveyancing in Caversham Heights. I have land on a web site which looks to be the perfect offering If there is a chance to get all this stuff completed via phone that would be ideal. Do I need to be concerned? What are the potential pitfalls?

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?

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Caversham Heights. Before diving in I want to be sure as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and most are in Caversham Heights - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars 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.

I acquired a leasehold flat in Caversham Heights, conveyancing formalities finalised 3 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Comparable flats in Caversham Heights with a long lease are worth £185,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 levied per year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2085

With only 60 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £20,000 and £23,000 as well as professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures 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. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.