I am need of leasehold conveyancing for a flat in a relatively new development (6 years old) in Ickenham. Almost all the appartments have already been disposed of. Is it strictly necessary to order local searches for my conveyancing in Ickenham?

You would be taking a significant risk in failing carrying out Ickenham conveyancing searches. Without searches you have no clarity over flooding, environmental etc which may mean you walk away due to potential problems down the line. If you are buying mortgage free there is no legal requirement to have them, but we would strongly advise in the strongest possible terms that you have them. If speed and driving down costs are top of your concerns you should consider with your solicitor about the viability of search insurance

Will my solicitor be raising questions concerning flooding as part of the conveyancing in Ickenham.

Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors carrying out conveyancing in Ickenham. Plenty of people will acquire a house in Ickenham, fully 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 get a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or sell the property. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the buyer.

Conveyancers are not best placed to give advice on flood risk, but there are a numerous checks that may be carried out by the purchaser or by their conveyancers which should figure out the risks in Ickenham. The standard completed inquiry forms sent to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) incorporates a usual question of the owner to find out whether the property has historically flooded. If flooding has previously occurred and is not disclosed by the owner, then a purchaser could issue a legal claim for losses resulting from an inaccurate reply. The purchaser’s lawyers should also order an environmental search. This will disclose if there is any known flood risk. If so, further investigations should be conducted.

I have todaybeen informed that Stirling Law have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in Ickenham for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 12 months ago. How can I check that my home is not still registered in the name of the former proprietor?

The quickest method to see if the property is registered to you, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Ickenham conveyancing specialists.

I am buying a new build house in Ickenham with a loan from The Mortgage Works. The builders refused to budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The property agent suggested that I not disclose to my lawyer about this deal as it will adversely affect my loan with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a property I have offered on last month in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Ickenham is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Ickenham are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Ickenham you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Ickenham may determine 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 premises.