My partner and I are purchasing a brand new duplex in Lichfield and my lawyer is advising me that she is duty bound to the bank to disclose incentives from the builder. I am on a tight deadline to exchange contracts and I don't want to delay matters. Is my lawyer right?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your conveyancing practitioner. A precondition to being on a bank panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

I am looking to buy a flat and need a conveyancing solicitor in Lichfield who is on the Alliance & Leicester solicitor. Can you recommend a local firm?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Alliance & Leicester in certain locations such as Lichfield. We dont recommend any particular firm.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Lichfield?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Lichfield. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £305k and identified one close by in Lichfield I like with amenity areas and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 61 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Lichfield for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease may be problematic. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you may ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.

All being well we will complete the disposal of our £175,000 maisonette in Lichfield in nine days. The managing agents has quoted £396 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Lichfield?

For most leasehold sales in Lichfield conveyancing will involve, queries regarding the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

Completing pre-exchange enquiries Where consent is required before sale in Lichfield Supplying insurance information Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Lichfield leasehold property is £350. For Lichfield conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are obliged to provide the information.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Lichfield - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

It would be sensible to find out as much as possible concerning the company managing the building as they can either make living at the property much simpler or problematic. As the owner of a leasehold property you will be at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to practical matters like the tidiness of the communal areas. Enquire of other tenants if they are happy with their service. On a final note, be sure you understand the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the managing agents and precisely what it includes. It is important to be aware if redecorating or some other significant cost is coming up that will be shared amongst the leaseholders and may well dramatically impact the level of the service charges or necessitate a one time invoice. This information is helpful as a) areas can result in problems for the block as the communal areas may start to deteriorate where repairs are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the running of the building you will need to have full disclosure