We had appointed conveyancing lawyers with offices in Yate on the Kent Reliance solicitor approved list. They are now charging me an additional amount for handling the Kent Reliance mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Kent Reliance?

As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your lawyer can charge a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Kent Reliance but by your Yate solicitor. Plenty of firms on the Kent Reliance panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some firms include it on their overall fee.

We were going to get a OIP from Nottingham this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Nottingham recommend any Yate solicitors on the Nottingham conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?

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

It is not clear whether my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called into my local Yate bank branch on various occasions and was reassured it wasn't an issue and they will lend. My Yate conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- called to say that they would not lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?

Your conveyancer has to follow the CML Handbook Part 2 requirements for your bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.

It has been 2 months since my purchase conveyancing in Yate concluded. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £170,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Yate with the aid of help to buy. The builders refused to budge the price so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The sale representative told me not reveal to my lawyer about the deal as it could adversely affect my mortgage with Barclays . Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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 for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and identified one close by in Yate I like with open areas and station nearby, the downside is that it's only got 61 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Yate for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

Should you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term may be problematic. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you can request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this.

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Yate. Before I set the wheels in motion I want to be sure as to the unexpired term of the lease.

If the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Yate - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details 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.

Yate Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

This question is useful as a) areas can cause problems in the building as the common areas may begin to deteriorate where services remain unpaid b) if the leasehold owners have an issue with the running of the building you will want to have full disclosure It is important to be aware whether fixing the lift or some other major work is due shortly that will be shared between the tenants and could well materially impact the level of the maintenance fees or necessitate a one off payment. What is the name of the managing agents?