I require conveyancing for a flat in a relatively new development (seven years old) in Kettering. 95% of the flats are already occupied. Is it strictly necessary to order neighbourhood searches for my conveyancing in Kettering?

Where you are obtaining a mortgage, your mortgage company will require some (many) of the searches so you'll have no choice. If not, then Kettering conveyancing searches are for you to decide upon. No doubt your conveyancer, will 'advise', perhaps strongly, that you should not go ahead without searches, but he or she is duty bound in this regard. One thing to bear in mind; if you are likely to sell the house one day, it may be of interest to your future buyer what the searches contain. Sometimes houses with no practical issues can still throw up adverse search results. But if you demand that your lawyer to proceed without searches then your lawyer will have to follow your instructions or you may need to instruct a new lawyer for your conveyancing in Kettering.

Can you explain why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Kettering costs more?

Kettering leasehold properties involve far more paperwork than a freehold purchase, and therefore takes more time to examine and advise upon.Conveyancing will involve the lease having to be checked which is usually a lengthy document, queries raised to ensure that the covenants and conditions have been observed. If it is a flat there will be a management company in existence and the accounts of this will need to be checked and enquiries raised to ensure it is operating efficiently and that all monies due have been paid by the Seller to the company and if not ensuring that money is paid up to date or the appropriate undertakings obtained.

We're in Kettering, First timers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Bank of Ireland , and our solicitor is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Kettering with a loan from Chelsea Building Society. The sellers refused to budge the price so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The estate agent suggested that I not to tell my solicitor about the side-deal as it will jeopardize my mortgage with Chelsea 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.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and found one round the corner in Kettering I like with a park and railway links nearby, the downside is that it only has 52 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Kettering for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

If you require a mortgage that many years will be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass 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 lawyer concerning this.