My wife and I are buying a flat in Muxton. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a solicitor? On the day of competition we have to send funds into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our deposit?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

My uncle informed me that in purchasing a property in Muxton there could be a number of restrictions limiting what one can do in terms of external alterations to a property. Is this right?

There are a number of properties in Muxton which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Muxton should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Muxton. I have a mortgage offer with . Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with , you will need to appoint a solicitor on the conveyancing panel.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Muxton benefiting from help to buy. The builders would not budge the price so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not inform my conveyancer about this deal as it will adversely affect my loan with the lender. Is this normal?.

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.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and identified one close by in Muxton I like with open areas and station in the vicinity, however it's only got 49 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Muxton suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?

If you need a mortgage that many years may be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing 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. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.

I have been pointed in your direction by three or four local estate agents in Muxton to get a quote from a conveyancer using your seach tool. What’s the financial advantage for Estate Agents to recommend your site over a competitor’s?

We don’t give any financial incentive for sending work our way. We thought it would be too underhand a fee as a client could think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

I inherited a studio flat in Muxton, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Equivalent flats in Muxton with an extended lease are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 yearly. The lease expires on 21st October 50

With 50 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £36,100 and £41,800 as well as legals.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.