I have given 8 weeks notice to my existing landlord and must vacate my let out property in St Mawes by 10/2/2025. Conveyancing for my house purchase has just started. Can I complete in 4 weeks as don't want to have to move into temporary accommodation?

Generally one should not give notice on a rental until your lawyer suggests that you should. If you have not already done so, update to your solicitor and request that they chase the sellers solicitors, try to an agreed time frame that all parties will aim towards

My apartment in St Mawes is up for sale and I have accepted an offer. Does the solicitor need to be required to be on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel in order to deal with redeeming my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently currently.

I am close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our house in St Mawes and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being constructed on contaminated land. A local lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers are using a factory type conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in St Mawes. We have lived in St Mawes for 5 years we know of no issue. Should we get in touch with our local Authority to get confirmation that there is no issue.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)

I am buying my first flat in St Mawes with a loan from Santander. The developers would not reduce the price so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The property agent suggested that I not disclose to my conveyancer about the deal as it could adversely affect my mortgage 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.

I am looking at a two apartments in St Mawes which have approximately 50 years remaining on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

There is no doubt about it. A leasehold flat in St Mawes is a wasting asset as a result of the reducing lease term. The nearer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it adversely affects the salability of the premises. The majority of purchasers and lenders, leases with under eighty years become less and less attractive. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a property with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with St Mawes conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease. You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

St Mawes Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

How much is the maintenance charge and ground rent on the property? On the whole the outlay for major works are not included within maintenance charges, albeit that some managing agents in St Mawes obliged tenants to pay into a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger repairs or maintenance. The best form of lease structure is if the freehold reversion is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this arrangement the lessees enjoy control and although a managing agent is usually retained if it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders.