A colleague advised me that if I am purchasing in Stanwell I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Stanwell conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and setting out significant information about Stanwell around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Stanwell Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Stanwell.

I am purchasing my first flat in Stanwell with the aid of help to buy. The developers refused to move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The house builders rep told me not to tell my lawyer about this side-deal as it will jeopardize 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.

I am looking into buying my first house which is in Stanwell and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Stanwell. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Stanwell area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Stanwell. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Stanwell. Before I set the wheels in motion I want to be sure as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in Stanwell - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

Having spent years of correspondence we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Stanwell. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

if there is a absentee freeholder or where there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to make a decision on the premium.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Stanwell flat is 147 Redford Close in June 2012. The Tribunal determined the lease extension premium to be at £4,200 This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 82.93 years.

I yesterday discovered that one of the directors of the solicitors undertaking the purchase conveyancing in Stanwell is related to the owners that we are purchasing from. Is this permitted?

As long as no conflict arises this should be fine. Where you are obtaining a home loan then the mortgage company may have a say as many mortgage companies have specific requirements on this. For example for Santander A&L as of 4/11/2025, the requirements read as follows :