We are a couple about to sign contracts for a ground floor flat in Warwickshire. We encountered a snag. The loan offer with Birmingham Midshires runs out on 26/7/2023 but the owners are insisting on a completion date of 28/7/2023. Can one extend the mortgage offer?

The person best placed to deal with your issue is your solicitors who should calculate whether he or she is should be discussing with the mortgage company, vendor’s lawyers, estate agents or possibly all parties given the circumstances your transaction to date.

I have a decision in principle. The bank mentioned the home loan came with free conveyancing. Does this mean I have to appoint their panel conveyancer as I would prefer to use a specialised conveyancing solicitor in Warwickshire?

Do check but the the likelihood is that appoint one of their panel conveyancers where you accept the "fee-free" offer. Call the lender and see if they allow a cash alternative. Some banks have previously offered a £250 cashback as a further option in which case you could put that amount towards your preferred conveyancing solicitor in Warwickshire.

My wife and I have a 4 bedroom Edwardian property in Warwickshire. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Leeds Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the matching property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Warwickshire and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also question the position with the conveyancing lawyer who completed the work.

I am purchasing a new build house in Warwickshire with a mortgage from Nationwide Building Society. The builders refused to move on the amount so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent suggested that I not inform my conveyancer about this deal as it could affect my loan with Nationwide Building Society. 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.

Helen (my wife) and I may need to let out our Warwickshire 1st floor flat for a while due to taking a sabbatical. We used a Warwickshire conveyancing firm in 2002 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to get any advice as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

Notwithstanding that your last Warwickshire conveyancing solicitor is no longer around you can review your lease to check if you are permitted to let out the property. The rule is that if the deeds are non-specific, subletting is permitted. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you are obliged to obtain permission from your landlord or other appropriate person in advance of subletting. This means that you cannot sublet without first obtaining consent. The consent is not allowed to be unreasonably withheld. If the lease does not allow you to sublet you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

Warwickshire Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

The prefered form of lease arrangement is if the freehold reversion is owned by the leaseholders. In this situation the leaseholders have control and although a managing agent is often retained where the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants. How much is the ground rent and service charge? For many Warwickshire leaseholds the outlay for major works tend not to be included within service charges, although a few managing agents in Warwickshire ask tenants to pay into a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger works.