It is a dozen years since I bought my home in Isle of Dogs. Conveyancing solicitors have now been retained on the sale but I am unable to locate my title documents. Is this a problem?

Don’t worry too much. First there is a chance that the deeds will be with the mortgage company or they may still be with the solicitor who oversaw the purchase. Secondly in all probability the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Isle of Dogs relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.

Will our lawyer be making enquiries about flooding during the conveyancing in Isle of Dogs.

Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers specialising in conveyancing in Isle of Dogs. There are those who acquire a property in Isle of Dogs, fully expectant that at some time, it may be flooded. However, aside from the physical damage, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or sell the premises. Steps can be carried out during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the buyer.

Conveyancers are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, however there are a various searches that can be initiated by the buyer or by their solicitors which will figure out the risks in Isle of Dogs. The standard information supplied to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) contains a usual question of the vendor to find out whether the property has historically flooded. In the event that the property has been flooded in past which is not revealed by the owner, then a buyer could issue a legal claim for losses stemming from an inaccurate response. A buyer’s conveyancers should also order an environmental report. This should reveal if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, further investigations should be conducted.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Isle of Dogs with a mortgage from Coventry Building Society. The sellers would not budge the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The sale representative suggested that I not disclose to my solicitor about the deal as it could affect my loan with Coventry Building Society. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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 am looking for a flat up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Isle of Dogs I like with open areas and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 61 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Isle of Dogs in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?

Should you require a mortgage that many years will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.

In my capacity as executor for the estate of my father I am disposing of a residence in Monmouth but live in Isle of Dogs. My conveyancer (who is 235 miles awayneeds me to execute a statutory declaration before the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing practitioner in Isle of Dogs to witness this legal document for me?

Technically speaking you should not be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily or notary public or qualified solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are Isle of Dogs based