We were just about to exchange contracts for a semi detached house in Bridgwater. We encountered a problem. The loan offer with Halifax runs out on 10/2/2025 but the owners are suggesting a completion date of 12/2/2025. Is it possible to extend the mortgage offer?

The best person to deal with your concern is your conveyancer who is in a position to calculate if they better off negotiating with the mortgage broker, owner’s representatives, selling agents or possibly all parties based on what has gone on in your house move to date.

I have 71 years left on my lease and require a lease extension for my apartment in Bridgwater. Conveyancing solicitors on the Tesco Bank panel can deal with such extensions right?

Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are obtaining a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Tesco Bank have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 9/12/2024 the requirements read as follows :

A relative advised me that where I am buying in Bridgwater I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is sometimes included in the estimate for your Bridgwater conveyancing searches. It is a large report of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out significant information about Bridgwater around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Bridgwater Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Bridgwater.

I am purchasing my first flat in Bridgwater with a mortgage from Barnsley Building Society. The builders refused to budge the amount so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative told me not inform my conveyancer about this side-deal as it may put at risk my loan with the lender. 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.

Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Bridgwater in advance of retaining lawyers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the property. The surveyor has said that some banks will refuse to give a mortgage on this type of home.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions from Halifax. If you contact us we can check with the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Bridgwater. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Bridgwater especially if they are familiar with such properties in Bridgwater.