Can you help? My Coniston lawyer is advising me that he has toorder Coniston conveyancing searches becausethe firm are on the HSBCapproved lawyer panel. These Coniston searches cost a lot of money can this be avoided?

Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. As you are obtaining a home loan with a lender your property lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your property lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your lender’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook conditions . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Coniston conveyancing searches.

Can you explain why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Coniston is more expensive?

The conveyancing charges on a leasehold property in Coniston is inevitably greater as compared to a freehold acquisition or disposal. This is due to the additional work required in corresponding with the landlord and management company to collate the evidence concerning whether the rent and service charges have been discharged and whether there are any major works due in the near future on repairs or maintenance of the block.

I'm buying a new build house in Coniston with the aid of help to buy. The developers refused to budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The house builders rep advised me not inform my conveyancer about the side-deal as it will affect my mortgage with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

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 opted to have a survey completed on a house in Coniston prior to retaining conveyancers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the property. Our surveyor has said that some banks will not issue a mortgage on this type of premises.

It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different requirements from Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can check with the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Coniston. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

In relation to leasehold conveyancing in Coniston what are the most frequent lease problems?

Leasehold conveyancing in Coniston is not unique. All leases are unique and drafting errors can result in certain provisions are not included. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts. A provision to repair to or maintain elements of the premises

A defective lease will likely cause problems when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Yorkshire Building Society, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society, and Clydesdale all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to provide security, forcing the purchaser to withdraw.

I invested in buying a leasehold flat in Coniston, conveyancing formalities finalised in 1998. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Corresponding properties in Coniston with an extended lease are worth £176,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease expires on 21st October 2106

You have 80 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £8,600 and £9,800 plus legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.