I am buying a newly constructed flat in Wokingham and my solicitor is advising me that she is duty bound to the mortgage company to disclose incentives from the builder. The Estate Agents are hassling me to exchange and I would rather not prolong deal. Is my lawyer right?

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

A friend pointed out to me me that in purchasing a property in Wokingham there may be various restrictions as to what one can do in terms of external alterations to a property. Is this right?

We are aware of anumerous of properties in Wokingham which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to perform external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Wokingham should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

We were going to get a DIP from Principality this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Principality recommend any Wokingham solicitors on the Principality conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

You will need to appoint Wokingham solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Principality conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Principality through the process.

Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Wokingham. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?

Almost all lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Wokingham?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Wokingham. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

My husband and I are new on the property ladder - had an offer accepted, yet the property agent informed us that the owners will only issue a contract if we instruct their chosen lawyers as they want an ‘expedited deal’. Our preferred option is to instruct a family solicitor who is familiar with conveyancing in Wokingham

We suspect that the seller is unaware of this requirement. Should the vendor desire ‘a quick sale', alienating a motivated purchaser is counter productive. Speak to the owners direct and explain that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances in place © you are unencumbered (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you will continue to instruct your preferred Wokingham conveyancing solicitors - not the ones that will earn their negotiator at the agency a kickback or achieve conveyancing thresholds pre-set by senior management.

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Wokingham. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in Wokingham - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

Wokingham Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing

Is the freehold owned collectively by the tenants? In the main the cost for major works tend not to be wrapped into the maintenance charges, albeit that some managing agents in Wokingham obliged leaseholders to contribute towards a sinking fund and this is used to offset against larger works.