I am soon to complete on the purchase of a property in Aldershot but as a consequence of damage from some water damage at the property I have managed to agree recompense from the owner of three thousand pounds by way of a deduction in the price. I had intended this to be dealt with as part of a side agreement however Aldermore will not agree to this. Should they have been involved?

Your conveyancer that is on the Aldermore approved list is duty bound to inform Aldermore of any variations to the purchase price. If you were to refuse your solicitor to notify the price change to Aldermore then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Aldermore and you would have to appoint a new lawyer for your conveyancing in Aldershot.

Do I have to visit the offices of the solicitor to sign the mortgage deed? If so, I will instruct a firm who offer conveyancing in Aldershot so that I can attend their offices if necessary.

As opposed to ten years ago, most banks no longer oblige their conveyancing panel solicitor to witness the mortgagors signature. You will still be obliged to provide identification documents and there are still manifest benefits to instructing a locally based solicitor, in your case a conveyancing solicitor in Aldershot.

Should my solicitor be making enquiries about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Aldershot.

Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors dealing with homes in Aldershot. There are those who acquire a house in Aldershot, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or dispose of the property. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Conveyancers are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a number of searches that can be carried out by the purchaser or by their solicitors which will give them a better appreciation of the risks in Aldershot. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms supplied to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a standard question of the vendor to determine if the property has historically flooded. In the event that the residence has been flooded in past and is not revealed by the owner, then a purchaser could bring a claim for damages as a result of such an misleading response. A purchaser’s conveyancers will also carry out an environmental search. This will reveal whether there is any known flood risk. If so, additional inquiries should be initiated.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Aldershot with a loan from Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. The builders would not move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The sale representative suggested that I not reveal to my conveyancer about the extras as it may affect my mortgage with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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 am looking for a flat up to £195,000 and found one round the corner in Aldershot I like with amenity areas and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 49 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Aldershot suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease may be problematic. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.