My husband and I are buying a newly constructed apartment in St Neots and my conveyancer is informing me that she has to the mortgage company to disclose incentives from the seller. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to sign contracts and I have no desire to prolong matters. Is my lawyer right?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on a lender panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

A colleague suggested that where I am buying in St Neots I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is usually included in the estimate for your St Neots conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about St Neots around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the St Neots Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, St Neots Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding St Neots.

About to purchase a new build apartment in St Neots. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build conveyancing.

Set out below are examples of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in St Neots

Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier?

I decided to have a survey completed on a property in St Neots ahead of instructing lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. The surveyor advised that some mortgage companies tend not grant a loan on such a premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different instructions for example to Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to telephone us we can investigate further with the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in St Neots. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

My step-mother completed her conveyancing in St Neots in 2005. She has since got married, widowed and has recently married again. She wishes to sell the house in a few months. I suspect that she will simply be requested to supply copies of the marriage papers to the property lawyer however she is anxious it will delay the conveyancing. Is it worth updating the land title information for the house?

The is no need to bring up to date the register as long as you have the evidence required to show how the name change has come about.

The buyer’s lawyer will check the land registry information and requisition evidence to prove the change of name e.g. marriage documentation.