We're in Northfleet, First timers buying with a mortgage (lender is Nationwide , and our lawyer is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no property lawyer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

What does a local search reveal concerning the house we're purchasing in Northfleet?

Northfleet conveyancing often starts with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company such as Onsearch The local search is essential in every Northfleet conveyancing purchase; as long as you wish to avoid any nasty surprises after you move into your property. The search should supply information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic headings.

I am buying my first flat in Northfleet with a loan from Bank of Scotland. The sellers refused to move on the amount so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The estate agent told me not to tell my lawyer about the side-deal as it may jeopardize my loan with Bank of Scotland. Is this normal?.

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 grandmother I am selling a residence in Newport but I am based in Northfleet. My solicitor (approximately 200 kilometers awayhas requested that I sign a stat dec ahead of completion. Can you recommend a conveyancing lawyer in Northfleet to witness and place their company stamp on the document?

Technically speaking you should not need to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or qualified solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are based in Northfleet

I have just started marketing my basement flat in Northfleet. Conveyancing has not commenced, but I have recently had a quarterly service charge demand – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is pay the maintenance contribution as normal because all ground rent and service payments will be allotted on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I invested in buying a basement flat in Northfleet, conveyancing having been completed in 1999. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Comparable properties in Northfleet with an extended lease are worth £222,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2094

You have 70 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to range between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

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 detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.