My partner and I are purchasing a newly built apartment in Ludgershall and my lawyer is telling me that she is duty bound to the mortgage company to reveal incentives from the developer. I am under pressure to sign contracts and I don't want to prolong the conveyancing. Is my lawyer right?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your property lawyer. A precondition to being on a lender panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements. 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 purchased a freehold premises in Ludgershall yet charged rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Ludgershall and has limited impact for conveyancing in Ludgershall but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.

Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges date back many centuries, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the establishment of fresh rentcharges post 1977.

Previous rentcharges can now be redeemed by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence in 2037 will be extinguished.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and identified one close by in Ludgershall I like with amenity areas and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 51 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Ludgershall in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?

If you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be an issue. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.

I am looking into buying my first house which is in Ludgershall and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Ludgershall. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Ludgershall area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Ludgershall. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

I have just appointed agents to market my 2 bed flat in Ludgershall. Conveyancing has not commenced, but I have recently had a quarterly service charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear the service charge as usual because all rents and service charges should be allotted on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

Ludgershall Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should ask before buying

Generally speaking the cost for major works are not wrapped into the service charges, albeit that there some managing agents in Ludgershall ask leaseholders to pay into a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger works. Best to be warned if redecorating or some other major work is due in the foreseeable future to be shared by the leaseholders and will dramatically increase the the maintenance charges or necessitate a one time payment.