three months have gone by since my purchase conveyancing in Yardley concluded. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I'm buying a new build house in Yardley with a loan from Halifax. The sellers refused to budge the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep told me not to tell my lawyer about this side-deal as it would put at risk my loan with the lender. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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 have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and found one close by in Yardley I like with a park and station nearby, however it's only got 52 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Yardley suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?

If you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term may be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.

My husband and I are a couple of weeks into a freehold purchase having been referred to conveyancers by the estate agent to execute conveyancing in Yardley. I am not happy. Can you help me find new conveyancers?

They would have to be really bad in order to consider changing them. Has the mortgage offer been sent? If so you will need to advise them of the new conveyancer and get the offer are re-issued. The conveyancer needs to be on the lenders approved list to avoid added expenses and complications. That should be your first question of the new solicitors. Our find a solicitor tool should help you find a bank approved lawyer for your home move in Yardley

What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Yardley conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Yardley conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggest that you talk with two or three firms including non Yardley conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be of use:

How many lease extensions have they completed in Yardley in the last year?

I acquired a basement flat in Yardley, conveyancing formalities finalised 6 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Yardley with an extended lease are worth £260,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2098

With 74 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.