My grandfather passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in West Beckton. The house had a small mortgage remaining of approximately £4500. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Barclays, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?

If you intend to refinance then Barclays will require that you use a conveyancer on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Barclays conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Barclays mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

I am buying my first flat in West Beckton benefiting from help to buy. The builders would not budge the amount so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not reveal to my conveyancer about the side-deal as it will put at risk my loan with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a property I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. West Beckton is where the house is located. Is there any guidance you can impart?

Flying freeholds in West Beckton are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside West Beckton you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in West Beckton may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.

Am I best advised to appoint a West Beckton conveyancing practitioner in close proximity to the house I am purchasing? An old friend can perform the legal work but his firm is located over three hundred miles away.

The benefit of a local West Beckton conveyancing practice is that you can drop in to sign documents, deliver your identification documents and pester them where appropriate. They will also have local insight which is a bonus. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If you know people who instructed your friend and in the main were impressed that should trump using an unfamiliar West Beckton conveyancing solicitor just because they are local.

My aunt completed her conveyancing in West Beckton in 2006. She has since got married, divorced and is now remarried. She now wants to the sell the West Beckton property. I think she will simply be asked to supply copies of her marriage papers to the conveyancing practitioner however she is anxious it will frustrate the sale of the house. Should she instruct a lawyer to update the title documents for the property?

It is not absolutely necessary to update the title for the property as long as you have the proof needed to demonstrate how the change of name has come about.

Any buyer’s property lawyer should examine the land registry details and require evidence by way of proof of the change of name for example marriage certificates.