A friend suggested that where I am buying in Okehampton I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Okehampton conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of about 40 pages, listing and setting out important information about Okehampton around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Okehampton Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Okehampton.

It has been 3 months since my purchase conveyancing in Okehampton took place. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I was pointed in your direction by a few estate agents in Okehampton to select a property lawyer on your site. What’s the financial advantage for Estate Agents to promote your lawyers over and above another?

We refuse to offer any referral fee for sending work to this site. We found it would be just too difficult to pay a commission because home movers will think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.

I own a leasehold flat in Okehampton. Conveyancing and Bank of Scotland mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing practitioner in Okehampton who acted for me is not around. Any advice?

The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to be sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. You do not need to incur the fees of a Okehampton conveyancing firm to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I invested in buying a 1st floor flat in Okehampton, conveyancing was carried out June 1996. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Okehampton with a long lease are worth £180,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 invoiced annually. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2085

You have 59 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to be between £20,900 and £24,200 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.

I am buying a house and cash is in place. I have provided lawyer with two distinct evidence of photo ID, bank statement, endless utility bills. Now he needs a copy from a probate lawyer stating that the money is legitimate and that it has come from inheritance and not dealing E's in Ibiza.

For some years now requires conveyancing solicitors as well as banks, building societies and other financial institutes to obtain satisfactory evidence of the identity of the client. This is because solicitors who deal with money and property on behalf of their clients can be used by criminals wishing to launder money. In order to comply with the law of money laundering, your Okehampton conveyancing lawyer will need to obtain evidence of your identity as as well as make sure that your funds are legitimate.