My wife and I are purchasing a brand new duplex in South Sutton and my lawyer is informing me that she has to the mortgage company to disclose incentives from the developer. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to exchange and I don't want to prolong the conveyancing. Is my lawyer right?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your lawyer. 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.

We note that you have a post code search directory listing firms on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a referral fee if I instruct them for our own conveyancing in South Sutton?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in South Sutton.

What happens if my lawyer’s firm is removed from the Santander Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in South Sutton?

The first thing to point out is that, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.

My brother has urged me to instruct his conveyancers in South Sutton. Should I use them?

No doubt the ideal way to find a conveyancing solicitor is to seek guidance from friends or family who have previously instructed the conveyancer that you are are thinking of instructing.

Last September I purchased a leasehold flat in South Sutton. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I inherited a split level flat in South Sutton, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Corresponding properties in South Sutton with an extended lease are worth £190,000. The ground rent is £65 levied per year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2087

You have 61 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £19,000 and £22,000 as well as legals.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.