My wife and I swapping mortgage lender for our apartment in Otley with TSB. We have a son 18 who lives with us. Our solicitor has asked us to disclose any adults other than ourselves who reside at the property. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the apartment is repossessed. I have two questions (1) Is this form unique to the TSB conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we purchased 4 years ago (2) In signing this form is our son in any way compromising his right to inherit the property?

First, rest assured that your TSB conveyancing panel solicitor is doing the right thing as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to TSB. This is solely used to protect TSB if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of TSB had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

My partner and I are downsizing from our property in Otley and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was constructed on contaminated land. A high street Otley conveyancer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers instructed a nationwide conveyancing practice rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Otley. Having lived in Otley for 4 years we know that this is a non issue. Do we get in touch with our local Authority to seek confirmation that the buyers are looking for.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You must check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same sickness)

I am purchasing my first flat in Otley benefiting from help to buy. The developers refused to move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The house builders rep told me not disclose to my solicitor about this extras as it would jeopardize my mortgage with Birmingham Midshires. 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.

Do I need to be suspicious that estate agents that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use a nationwide conveyancing firm rather than a High Street Otley conveyancing company?

As with lots of professional services, often input from connections can be extremely useful or valuable. Nevertheless there are numerous parties with a vested interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders might all put forward solicitors to retain. On occasion the solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but occasionally there might be a financial incentive behind the recommendation. You are free to select your own conveyancer. You need to be aware that many mortgage providers have an approved list of solicitors you have to use for the mortgage aspect of your transaction.

Back In 2009, I bought a leasehold house in Otley. Conveyancing and Nationwide Building Society mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1998. The conveyancing practitioner in Otley who acted for me is not around. Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to incur the fees of a Otley conveyancing solicitor to do this as it can be done on-line for a few pound. You should note that regardless, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I am the registered owner of a split level flat in Otley, conveyancing having been completed 6 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Otley with a long lease are worth £181,000. The ground rent is £55 charged once a year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2075

With just 51 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £30,400 and £35,200 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.