My husband and I are purchasing a newly built flat in Brimsdown and my solicitor is advising me that she has to the bank to disclose incentives from the seller. I am on a tight deadline to sign contracts and I don't want to delay matters. Is my lawyer right?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your solicitor. A precondition to being on a mortgage company 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.

I am looking to buy a flat and require a conveyancing solicitor in Brimsdown who is on the Nationwide Building Society conveyancing. Could you point me in the right direction as regards a firm?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Nationwide Building Society in certain locations such as Brimsdown. We dont recommend any particular firm.

I used Arc property Solicitors several years ago for my conveyancing in Brimsdown. Now, I need the documents however the law firm has closed. What do I do?

You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Brimsdown of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and identified one close by in Brimsdown I like with amenity areas and station nearby, however it only has 61 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Brimsdown suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?

If you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be an issue. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this.

What are your top tips when it comes to choosing a Brimsdown conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Brimsdown conveyancing firm) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you make enquires with two or three firms including non Brimsdown conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions might be helpful:

What are the legal fees for lease extension work? If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?

I have given up negotiating a lease extension in Brimsdown. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?

You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Brimsdown conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Vesting Order and Purchase of freehold case for a Brimsdown flat is Ground Floor Flat 4A Baronet Road in February 2010. Following a vesting order by Edmonton County Court on 23rd December 2008 (case number 8ED064) the Tribunal decided that the price that the Applicant for the freehold interest should pay is £8,689.00 This case related to 2 flats. The remaining number of years on the lease was 80.01 years.