We are acquiring a brand new flat in Baldock and my solicitor is advising me that she has to the bank to reveal incentives from the builder. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to sign contracts and I don't want to prolong deal. is my lawyer playing by the book?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your conveyancer. A precondition to being on a bank panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our property are lost. The solicitors who conducted the conveyancing in Baldock 10 years ago no longer exist. What are my next steps?

In today’s world there are copies made of almost everything, and your lawyer should know exactly where to find all the suitable paperwork so you may purchase or dispose of your house without any difficulty. If copies are not available, your conveyancer may be able to put in place insurance or indemnities protecting you against future claims on your property.

I opted to have a survey completed on a property in Baldock in advance of retaining solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the house. My surveyor advised that some lenders may not give a loan on a flying freehold house.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different requirements for example to Nationwide. If you call us we can investigate further via the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Baldock. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Baldock to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

We are one month into a leasehold purchase having been directed to a firm by the high street agent to do our conveyancing in Baldock. We are not happy. Could you you assist me in finding new solicitors?

A conveyancer would need to be very poor in order to consider diss instructing them. Has the mortgage been generated? If so you must inform them of the new contact details and ensure the mortgage documents are issued to the new lawyers. Your conveyancer should be on the mortgage company panel to avoid added charges and delays. So that should be your starting point. The search tool can help you find a lender approved conveyancer for your conveyancing in Baldock

We expect to complete the sale of our £400,000 flat in Baldock in just under a week. The landlords agents has quoted £324 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Baldock?

Baldock conveyancing on leasehold flats often requires the purchaser’s solicitor submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to respond to such questions the majority will be willing to assist. They may charge a reasonable charge for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some cases it exceeds £800. The management information fee required by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of rights and obligations in respect of administration charges, without which the charge is technically not due. Reality however dictates that one has no choice but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to complete the sale of your home.

I am the registered owner of a basement flat in Baldock, conveyancing was carried out March 2000. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Equivalent properties in Baldock with a long lease are worth £181,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease ceases on 21st October 2075

You have 51 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £30,400 and £35,200 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.