My husband and I are acquiring a new build apartment in Alcester and my conveyancer is telling me that she is duty bound to the mortgage company to reveal incentives from the builder. I am under pressure to exchange contracts and I would rather not delay matters. is my lawyer playing by the book?

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

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Alcester?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Alcester. 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…’

I'm buying my first flat in Alcester with a mortgage from . The builders would not reduce the price so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent suggested that I not to tell my lawyer about the extras as it could put at risk my loan 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.

My uncle has encouraged me to instruct his conveyancing solicitors in Alcester. Do I take his guidance?

There are no two ways about it the ideal way to find a conveyancing lawyer is to get referrals from friends or family who have actually experience in using the solicitor you're considering.

I wish to let out my leasehold flat in Alcester. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Is permission from the freeholder required?

Some leases for properties in Alcester do contain a provision to say that subletting is only allowed with permission. The landlord cannot unreasonably refuse but, in such cases, they would need to review references. Experience suggests that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting permission.

Alcester Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries Prior to buying

How much is the maintenance charge and ground rent on the apartment? On the whole the cost for major works are not included within maintenance charges, albeit that there some managing agents in Alcester require leaseholders to contribute towards a sinking fund created for the specific purpose of building a fund for major repairs or maintenance. Best to be warned whether fixing the lift or some other major work is anticipated that will be shared amongst the leaseholders and will materially impact the level of the service charges or necessitate a specific invoice.