My nephew is buying a newly built flat in Kirkby Lonsdale with a mortgage from Principality. His conveyancer has said that there is a delay in receiving the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. Who needs to receive the form?

The document is intended to provide information to the main parties involved in the transaction. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Principality conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the surveyor when asked. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Principality conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

The Kirkby Lonsdale conveyancing firm that just started acting on my house acquisition in Kirkby Lonsdale have without warning closed. I chose them because I had to have a solicitor on the UBS conveyancing panel and my preferred Kirkby Lonsdale lawyer was not. I cut them a cheque for £250 in advance. What should be my next steps?

Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then inform them immediately so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the UBS conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new solicitors may be able to assist.

My uncle advised me that in purchasing a property in Kirkby Lonsdale there could be various restrictions as to what one can do in terms of external changes to a property. Is this right?

There are a number of properties in Kirkby Lonsdale which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Kirkby Lonsdale should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Kirkby Lonsdale. I have a mortgage agreed with RBS. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with RBS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the RBS conveyancing panel.

Planning on purchasing a apartment in Kirkby Lonsdale. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Kirkby Lonsdale conveyancer is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £305k and identified one close by in Kirkby Lonsdale I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, however it only has 52 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Kirkby Lonsdale for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

If you need a mortgage that many years will likely be an issue. Discount 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 twenty four months 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 solicitor regarding this.

I've recently bought a leasehold house in Kirkby Lonsdale. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to 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. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element 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 own a 1 bedroom flat in Kirkby Lonsdale, conveyancing having been completed March 2011. How much will my lease extension cost? Equivalent flats in Kirkby Lonsdale with over 90 years remaining are worth £195,000. The ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease terminates on 21st October 2087

You have 63 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £16,200 and £18,600 plus professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.