It is 10 years ago since I purchased my home in Cottenham. Conveyancing lawyers have recently been retained on the sale but I am unable to locate my title documents. Is this a major issue?

Don’t worry too much. Firstly the deeds may be with your lender or they could be in the possession of the lawyers who handled your purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Cottenham relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it is more of a problem but is not insurmountable.

I am buying my first flat in Cottenham with a loan from Alliance & Leicester . The developers refused to move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The property agent suggested that I not to tell my conveyancer about this deal as it could adversely affect my loan with Alliance & Leicester . 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.

Is it simple use your search facility to select a conveyancing lawyer in Cottenham on the authorised to act for my mortgage?

Step one is to pick a lender such as Santander, Leeds Building Society or TSB then choose your preferred area e.g. Cottenham. Conveyancing practices in Cottenham and across England and Wales should be identified.

My husband and I are first time buyers - had an offer accepted, but the property agent told us that the seller will only move forward if we appoint their recommended lawyers as they want an ‘expedited deal’. We would rather use a family conveyancer used to conveyancing in Cottenham

It is highly unlikely the sellers are driving this. If they desire ‘a quick sale', alienating a serious buyer is going to damage their objectives. Speak to the vendors direct and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you have nothing to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you are going to use your own,trusted Cottenham conveyancing solicitors - not the ones that will earn their negotiator at the agency a referral fee or meet his conveyancing figures set by senior management.

There are only 68 years unexpired on my flat in Cottenham. I need to extend my lease but my landlord is absent. What are my options?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply 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 have done all that could be expected to track down the lessor. For most situations an enquiry agent may be useful to try and locate and prepare an expert document which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Cottenham.

I inherited a ground floor flat in Cottenham, conveyancing was carried out 7 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Comparable flats in Cottenham with a long lease are worth £181,000. The ground rent is £55 yearly. The lease ceases on 21st October 2076

With just 51 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £30,400 and £35,200 plus legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.