I am buying my first flat in Colerne benefiting from help to buy. The sellers refused to move on the price so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The sale representative suggested that I not disclose to my conveyancer about this side-deal as it may jeopardize my loan with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £245,000 and found one close by in Colerne I like with open areas and station nearby, the downside is that it only has 51 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Colerne in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?

If you require a home loan that many years will be an issue. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you can request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.

Am I right to be suspicious by estate agents that I am dealing with are recommending a national conveyancing firm rather than a local Colerne conveyancing company?

As with lots of professional services, often referrals from family and friends can be very helpful. Nevertheless there are many players in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, financial adviser and mortgage companies may suggest lawyers to retain. On occasion these lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but occasionally there might be a financial incentive behind the recommendation. You are free to select your own conveyancer. Don't forget that some banks specify a panel list of conveyancers you have to use for the lender aspect of your home move.

I need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor for some conveyancing in Colerne. I've stumble upon a web site which appears to be the perfect answer If it is possible to get all formalities done via email 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 in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Colerne. Before I set the wheels in motion I want to be sure as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

If the lease is registered - and most are in Colerne - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details 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.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Colerne - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

Many Colerne leasehold apartments will be liable to pay a service charge for the upkeep of the building invoiced by the management company. Should you acquire the flat you will have to pay this charge, normally quarterly throughout the year. This may differ from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large common grounds. In all likelihood there will be a ground rent for you to pay yearly, this is usually not a large figure, say about £25-£75 but you should to enquire it because sometimes it could be prohibitively expensive. Are any of leasehold owners in dispute over their service charge payments? What prohibitions are there in the Colerne Lease?