I am purchasing my first flat in Chessington benefiting from help to buy. The sellers would not budge the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The estate agent suggested that I not reveal to my solicitor about the deal as it may put at risk my loan with The Royal Bank of Scotland. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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 have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in Chessington I like with open areas and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 51 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Chessington suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?

If you require a mortgage that many years will be an issue. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you could ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.

I have been pointed in your direction by a number of selling agents in Chessington to choose a conveyancer on your site. What’s the financial incentive for Estate Agents to offer your site rather than a competitor’s?

We don’t make any commission for pointing buyers and sellers our way. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission because members of the public would think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

As co-executor for the will of my aunt I am selling a residence in Monmouth but reside in Chessington. My solicitor (based 260 miles from mehas requested that I sign a statutory declaration before completion. Can you recommend a conveyancing practitioner in Chessington to attest and place their company stamp on the document?

strictly speaking you are unlikely to need to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily or notary public or qualified solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are Chessington based

I have recently realised that I have Seventy years remaining on my lease in Chessington. I am keen to get lease extension but my freeholder is absent. What are my options?

On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have done all that could be expected to find the freeholder. For most situations a specialist should be helpful to carry out a search and prepare a report to be accepted by the court as evidence that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer in relation to proving the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Chessington.

I inherited a ground-floor 1960’s flat in Chessington. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the amount due for a lease extension?

You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Chessington conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Chessington residence is Flat D 15 Claremont Gardens in September 2013. TheTribunal determined in accordance with section48 and Schedule13 of the Leasehold Reform,Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 that the premium for the extended lease should be fourteen thousand one hundred and eighty seven pounds (£14,187.00) This case affected 1 flat.