We are soon to exchange on the purchase of a house in Neath Port Talbot but as a consequence of wreckage from some water damage at the property I have was able negotiate compensation from the seller of £2k in the form of a deduction in the price. This was going to be dealt with as part of a side agreement but Nottingham will not agree to this. Should they have been notified?

Your conveyancing practitioner that is on a Nottingham approved list is duty bound to inform Nottingham of any amendments to the purchase price. If you prohibit your solicitor to notify the price change to Nottingham then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Nottingham and you would have to appoint a new property lawyer for your conveyancing in Neath Port Talbot.

A friend suggested that where I am purchasing in Neath Port Talbot I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is occasionally included in the estimate for your Neath Port Talbot conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about Neath Port Talbot around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Neath Port Talbot Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Neath Port Talbot.

I'm buying a new build house in Neath Port Talbot benefiting from help to buy. The builders refused to budge the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep told me not to tell my lawyer about the deal as it may impact 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.

As co-executor for the estate of my uncle I am selling a house in Neath but I am based in Neath Port Talbot. My solicitor (who is 250 kilometers awayhas requested that I sign a stat dec ahead of completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing practitioner in Neath Port Talbot to attest this legal document for me?

Technically speaking you are unlikely to need to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily or notary public or qualified solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are Neath Port Talbot based

What advice can you give us when it comes to choosing a Neath Port Talbot conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Neath Port Talbot conveyancing firm) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you make enquires with several firms including non Neath Port Talbot conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions might be useful:

What volume of lease extensions have they conducted in Neath Port Talbot in the last twenty four months? Can they put you in touch with clients in Neath Port Talbot who can give a testimonial?

I bought a leasehold flat in Neath Port Talbot, conveyancing having been completed December 2008. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent flats in Neath Port Talbot with an extended lease are worth £222,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease expires on 21st October 2094

You have 70 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.