We're in Stretton, First time buyers buying with a mortgage (lender is TSB , and our solicitor is on the TSB conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the TSB conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no 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.

My wife and I purchased a renovated Edwardian house in Stretton. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Nottingham Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. Is it worth asking Nottingham Building Society to clarify?

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Stretton and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the purchase.

I'm buying my first flat in Stretton benefiting from help to buy. The developers would not budge the price so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The sale representative told me not inform my solicitor about this side-deal as it could adversely affect 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.

We're first time buyers - had an offer accepted, yet the estate agent informed us that the seller will only proceed if we instruct the agent's preferred lawyers as they want an ‘expedited deal’. My instinct tells me that we should use a high street solicitor who is accustomed to conveyancing in Stretton

We suspect that the seller is not behind this ultimatum. If they want ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a motivated purchaser is not the way to achieve this. Avoid the agents and go straight to the owners and make the point that (a)you are motivated purchasers (b)you are ready to go, with mortgage lined up © you have nothing to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you will continue to use your preferred Stretton conveyancing lawyers - not the ones that will provide their estate agent a commission or meet his conveyancing thresholds demanded by HQ.

What makes a Stretton lease defective?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Stretton. All leases are drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain clauses are not included. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.

You could encounter difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Lloyds TSB Bank, The Mortgage Works, and Clydesdale all have very detailed conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to provide security, forcing the buyer to pull out.

I am the registered owner of a 2 bed flat in Stretton, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent flats in Stretton with over 90 years remaining are worth £190,000. The ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2086

You have 62 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to span between £17,100 and £19,800 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.