My wife and I purchasing a end of terrace house in Warwick. We would like to carry out an extension to the side at the house.Will legal due diligence on the property involve checks to see if these alterations are prohibited?

Your property lawyer will review the registered title as conveyancing in Warwick can occasionally reveal restrictions in the title documents which restrict categories of alterations or necessitated the consent of a 3rd party. Some works call for local authority planning consent and approval in accordance building regulations. Some locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. It would be prudent to check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Barclays. Warwick conveyancing solicitors have been selected. How long does it take for Barclays to send the offer to the solicitor?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Barclays completed the valuation? Have you informed Barclays as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Barclays conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

I have a mortgage with Santander for my property in Warwick. Conveyancing has been completed 12 months ago. Should I wish to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Santander?

You must advise Santander before letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Santander’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Santander will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Santander directly. You need not do this via a Santander conveyancing panel firm.

I am buying a new build apartment in Warwick. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Here are examples of a few leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Warwick

Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier? Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. Please supply a car parking plan. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose?

Due to the guidance of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Warwick in advance of instructing conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the house. Our surveyor has said that some mortgage companies will refuse to issue a loan on this type of property.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Nationwide. If you contact us we can look into this further via the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Warwick. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Warwick especially if they are acquainted with such properties in Warwick.

Am I better off to use a Warwick conveyancing practitioner based in the area that I am buying? I have an old university friend who can execute the conveyancing but her office is 400kilometers away.

The benefit of a high street Warwick conveyancing firm is that you can attend the office to execute documents, hand in your ID and apply pressure on them if necessary. They will also have local knowledge which is a bonus. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If if people you trust instructed your friend and on the whole were happy that must trump using an unknown Warwick conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being Warwick based.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Warwick. Conveyancing and Clydesdale mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1998. The conveyancing solicitor in Warwick who acted for me is not around. Any advice?

The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to be sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Warwick conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I bought a 1 bedroom flat in Warwick, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Warwick with over 90 years remaining are worth £179,000. The ground rent is £65 per annum. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2082

You have 57 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £26,600 and £30,800 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed 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 want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.