My nephew is buying a newly built flat in Cirencester with a home loan from Nationwide. His lawyer has advised him of a delay in completing the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. Who needs to receive the form?

The form is intended to provide information to the main parties involved in the transaction. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Nationwide conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the valuer when requested. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Nationwide conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

I own a freehold house in Cirencester but nevertheless charged rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Cirencester and has limited impact for conveyancing in Cirencester but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.

Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges have existed for hundreds of years, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the creation of new rentcharges from 1977 onwards.

Previous rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence in 2037 will be dispensed with completely.

The mortgage over my property is with Kent Reliance for my property in Cirencester. Conveyancing has been completed 12 months ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Kent Reliance?

Your original mortgage agreement with Kent Reliance will provide that you need their approval in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Kent Reliance’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Kent Reliance directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Kent Reliance conveyancing panel firm.

My offer was accepted on a house in Cirencester on 22/8/2025, valuation was booked five days later, all came back fine. Conveyancer instructed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Co-operative and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Are Co-operative entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?

A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Co-operative to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

HSBC have agreed my home loan in principle, my bid on a property in Cirencester has been accepted, what are the next steps?

Your property agent will wish to be informed of your conveyancing practitioner's details (ensure that the conveyancing practitioners are on the lender’s approved list). Contact HSBC or your broker and complete any relevant documentation. HSBC will appoint a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or seller to schedule an appointment. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes approximately ten days for the mortgage offer to be issued. HSBC will issue the offer to you and your conveyancing practitioners. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Cirencester.

I require fast conveyancing in Cirencester as I am under an ultimatum to complete inside 3 weeks. A home loan is not required. Can I decline from having conveyancing searches to save fees and time?

As you are are a mortgage free purchaser you are at free not to do searches although no conveyancer would suggest that you don't. With plenty of history conveyancing in Cirencester the following are instances of what can appear and adversely impact the marketability of the property: Refused Planning Applications, Outstanding Fees, Overdue Grants, Road Schemes,...

My partner and I may need to let out our Cirencester garden flat for a while due to a new job. We instructed a Cirencester conveyancing firm in 2002 but they have closed and we did not think at the time seek any advice as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

Notwithstanding that your previous Cirencester conveyancing solicitor is not available you can review your lease to check if you are permitted to let out the premises. The rule is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is permitted. There may be a precondition that you need to seek permission via your landlord or some other party prior to subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet in the absence of first obtaining permission. Such consent must not not be unreasonably withheld. If your lease does not allow you to sublet you will need to ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

I invested in buying a ground floor flat in Cirencester, conveyancing was carried out March 1999. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Equivalent flats in Cirencester with a long lease are worth £181,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease ceases on 21st October 2076

With 51 years left to run the likely cost is going to span between £30,400 and £35,200 as well as professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.