My husband and I are acquiring a newly constructed flat in Littlehampton and my conveyancer is advising me that she is duty bound to the mortgage company to reveal incentives from the builder. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to exchange contracts and I have no desire to delay matters. Is my lawyer right?

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

How does conveyancing in Littlehampton differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Littlehampton approach us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is constructed. This is because builders in Littlehampton usually purchase the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Littlehampton or who has acted in the same development.

Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Littlehampton ahead of retaining lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. Our surveyor has said that some lenders tend refuse to grant a loan on this type of home.

It varies from the lender to lender. HSBC has different instructions for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you e-mail us we can check with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Littlehampton. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Littlehampton to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

How do I search for a Littlehampton solicitor on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel? I have wheels and am happy to travel upto 25miles to meet the conveyancer.

Feel free to make use of the search on this page. Please select a bank and your location and you will see a number of Littlehampton conveyancing lawyers based on proximity. We have listed some Littlehampton conveyancing firms towards the end of this page and you can contact them to verify whether they are on the Leeds Building Society approved list

Expecting to complete next month on a basement flat in Littlehampton. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they are sending me a report tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Littlehampton should include some of the following:

Does the lease prevent you from renting out the flat, or working from home The physical extent of the property. This may be the apartment itself but might incorporate a loft or basement if applicable. Responsibility for repairing the window frames You should be sent a copy of the lease

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

The answer will be useful as a) areas could cause problems in the building as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate where repairs are not paid for b) if the tenants have a dispute with the running of the building you will need to have complete disclosure Generally speaking the cost for major works tend not to be included within maintenance charges, albeit that some managing agents in Littlehampton ask leasehold owners to contribute towards a sinking fund created for the specific purpose of building a fund for major works. The best form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this situation the lessees enjoy being in charge if their destiny and even though a managing agent is usually retained if the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants.