I'm buying a new build house in Lansbury benefiting from help to buy. The builders refused to budge the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative told me not reveal to my lawyer about this extras as it could adversely affect my loan with the bank. 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.

How do I use your search facility to select a conveyancing practitioner in Lansbury on the panel for my lender?

1st choose a bank such as Lloyds TSB Bank, Chelsea Building Society or Barclays Direct then choose your location e.g. Lansbury. Conveyancing firms in Lansbury and across England and Wales should be listed.

Am I better off to use a Lansbury conveyancing practitioner who is local to the property I am buying? An old friend can deal with the legal work however his firm is located approximately 350miles away.

The benefit of a high street Lansbury conveyancing firm is that you can visit the firm to sign paperwork, deliver your ID and apply pressure on them where appropriate. They will also have local knowledge which is a plus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If if people you trust used your friend and in the main were impressed that must outweigh using an unknown Lansbury conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being based in the area.

I am a negotiator for a reputable estate agency in Lansbury where we see a number of leasehold sales put at risk as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Lansbury conveyancing firms. Can you shed some light as to whether the seller of a flat can instigate the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

I am the leaseholder of a basement flat in Lansbury. In the absence of agreement between myself and the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the amount due for a lease extension?

You certainly can. We can put you in touch with a Lansbury conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Vesting Order and Purchase of freehold decision for a Lansbury flat is Ground Floor Flat 4A Baronet Road in February 2010. Following a vesting order by Edmonton County Court on 23rd December 2008 (case number 8ED064) the Tribunal decided that the price that the Applicant for the freehold interest should pay is £8,689.00 This case was in relation to 2 flats. The unexpired term was 80.01 years.

Should I cancel my mortgage payments with Skipton once a completion date for my home sale in Lansbury has been set?

You are best advised to maintain paying any mortgage sums to Skipton pending the mortgage being repaid on completion as part of your Lansbury conveyancing.