I'm purchasing my first flat in Potton benefiting from help to buy. The sellers would not move on the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The property agent advised me not to tell my lawyer about this side-deal as it would jeopardize my loan with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

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.

Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Potton prior to appointing lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. Our surveyor advised that some banks may refuse to give a mortgage on such a property.

It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different requirements from Nationwide. If you call us we can check via the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Potton. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Potton especially if they are familiar with such properties in Potton.

I'm refinancing my existing home to a buy to let loan with Godiva Mortgages Ltd and I will use the rest of the raised equity as a deposit on a second house. The location we are talking about is Potton. Will your conveyancers be able to act for both sets of mortgage companies and tie in the two deals?

Make use of our comparison tool on this page to be sure that the conveyancers are on the appropriate lender panels. On the basis that they are the conveyancer should be able to simultaneously deal with the two deals but you should talk with you conveyancer and specify your desired outcome and requirements.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Potton. Conveyancing and Yorkshire Building Society mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing practitioner in Potton who previously acted has long since retired. Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to incur the fees of a Potton conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I purchased a 1st floor flat in Potton, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Equivalent properties in Potton with a long lease are worth £186,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 per annum. The lease expires on 21st October 2077

You have 53 years left to run the likely cost is going to be between £27,600 and £31,800 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.

My fiance and I today found out that one of the partners of the conveyancing practice handling the purchase conveyancing in Potton is is the mother of the seller. Is this allowed?

Provided there is no conflict of interest this is allowable. Where you are requiring mortgage finance then the lender may have a say as many banks have specific requirements concerning this. For example for Virgin as of 11/11/2024, the requirements read as follows :