A colleague recommended that if I am purchasing in Easthampstead I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is sometimes included in the estimate for your Easthampstead conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about Easthampstead around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Easthampstead Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Easthampstead.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on last month in what should have been a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Easthampstead is where the house is located. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Easthampstead are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Easthampstead you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Easthampstead may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.

My husband and I are FTB’s - agreed a price, but the property agent has warned us that the vendor will only move forward if we appoint their preferred solicitors as they need a ‘quick sale’. Our preferred option is to instruct a high street conveyancer who is accustomed to conveyancing in Easthampstead

It is improbable the vendors are driving this. If they want ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a motivated buyer is likely to cause more damage than good. Contact the owners directly and make sure they comprehend that (a)you are serious purchasers (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you have nothing to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you will continue to appoint your own,trusted Easthampstead conveyancing lawyers - not the ones that will give the negotiator at the agency a referral fee or achieve conveyancing thresholds pre-set by corporate headquarters.

I've recently bought a leasehold flat in Easthampstead. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I inherited a studio flat in Easthampstead, conveyancing having been completed in 2005. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Easthampstead with an extended lease are worth £201,000. The ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease terminates on 21st October 2088

With 64 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £14,300 and £16,400 plus costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account 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 seeking the advice of a professional.

We are in the middle of purchasing a residence in Easthampstead. Conveyancing solicitor has phoned to say the property is "Leasehold". Will this likely adversely affect the marketability of the house?

Easthampstead conveyancing does not normally involve leasehold houses. The key factor here is the remaining lease term and the ground rent. If it's 999 years with a peppercorn rent, it's almost the same as freehold, so it shouldn't impact the saleability too much.

At the other end of the spectrum, if it's, say, 50 years it is bound to have a material effect on the saleability, and most likely wouldn't be mortgageable. The length of lease and ground rent will be specified in the lease to be supplied to your property lawyer.