My husband and I are buying a brand new duplex in Plymstock and my lawyer is informing me that she has to the mortgage company to disclose incentives from the developer. I am on a tight deadline to exchange contracts and I have no desire to prolong matters. is my lawyer playing by the book?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your conveyancer. A precondition to being on a lender panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

I am buying a new build house in Plymstock with a loan from Birmingham Midshires. The builders would not move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The estate agent suggested that I not disclose to my solicitor about the side-deal as it will impact my loan with the lender. 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 into buying my first house which is in Plymstock and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Plymstock. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Plymstock area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Plymstock. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

I have just appointed agents to market my 2 bed flat in Plymstock. Conveyancing has not commenced, however I have recently received a half-yearly service charge invoice – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear the invoice as normal as all ground rent and maintenance charges will be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I inherited a 2 bed flat in Plymstock, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2001. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar flats in Plymstock with over 90 years remaining are worth £192,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced every year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2078

With only 54 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £32,300 and £37,400 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.

What can I do where I am dissatisfied with the lawyer who did my conveyancing in Plymstock?

We live in an imperfect world, and is is a fact of life that every so often matters do not go as planned. Nevertheless there is recourse where you were not happy with your conveyancing in Plymstock. This varies from trying to resolve matters directly with them, through to reporting a conveyancer to their regulator. If you remain aggrieved you may consider enlisting the help of the Legal Ombudsman.