After what seems like an age a mortgage agreement from Nationwide for the refinancing of my 3 room flat is expected any day now. Can you suggest a low cost conveyancing law firm in Linton?

This site is not designed to assist those in pursuit of cut-price fees for conveyancing in Linton. Our intention is to offer affordable conveyancing but we do not advertise as being the cheapest. Resist the temptation to appoint companies offering ninety nine pound conveyancing in Linton. The optimum result, in deciding on low cost conveyancing, you will get your money’s worth and at worst it will result in you with a surprising uplift in extras and still not get the service required.

Is it realistic for conveyancing in Linton to be done inside two weeks?

First, If you are under time constraints for your conveyancing it is advisable to make sure that your lawyer is familiar with the area as they will benefit local contacts and knowledge. It is possible that they could have conducted previoushomes in the same street. You would be best advised to use a Linton conveyancing firm. In addition, check that the conveyancing firm is on the on the approved list for your mortgage company. It is said that just under twenty per cent of Linton conveyancing transactions are delayed or jeopardised after finding out that a buyer’s conveyancer was not on their mortgage lender’s list of approved solicitors. In many cases this discovery resulted in the transaction being frustrated by an average of three weeks. It is claimed that this issue impacts in the region of one hundred thousand home sales every year. Many Linton conveyancing firms can not represent certain mortgage companies so do check at the outset.

I'm buying my first flat in Linton with a loan from Bank of Scotland. The builders refused to budge the price so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The sale representative advised me not to tell my conveyancer about this extras as it may adversely affect my mortgage with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

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.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £245,000 and found one close by in Linton I like with amenity areas and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 51 years on the lease. There is not much else in Linton for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

Should you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities 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 lawyer concerning this.

I work for a busy estate agency in Linton where we have experienced a number of leasehold sales put at risk due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Linton conveyancing solicitors. Can you clarify whether the owner of a flat can initiate the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

I bought a leasehold flat in Linton, conveyancing having been completed September 1995. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar flats in Linton with over 90 years remaining are worth £202,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £60 per annum. The lease ceases on 21st October 2076

With only 57 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £28,500 and £33,000 plus legals.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.