I sincerely hope you can help me. My Upney solicitor is advising me that she is duty bound toconduct Upney conveyancing searches resulting from the fact thatthe firm are on the Nat Westconveyancing panel. These Upney checks cost a lot of money can this be avoided?

Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. As you are obtaining a mortgage with a mortgage company your has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’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 Upney conveyancing searches.

Why do I have to pay up front for conveyancing in Upney?

Where you are retaining lawyers for conveyancing in Upney your solicitor will request that you to provide them with funds to cover the search fees. Generally this is requested to cover the fees of the Local Authority Search. If any down payment is as part of the purchase price then this will be needed immediately ahead of exchange of contracts. The final balance that is needed will be payable a couple of days ahead of the day of completion.

I'm buying my first flat in Upney benefiting from help to buy. The developers would not move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The property agent advised me not disclose to my lawyer about this extras as it could put at risk my mortgage with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

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.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I have offered on two weeks back in what was supposed to be a simple, no chain conveyancing. Upney is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Upney are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Upney you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Upney may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Upney. Conveyancing and mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1996. The conveyancing practitioner in Upney who acted for me is not around. Any advice?

The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to be sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Upney conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Upney Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should consider before buying

What restrictions are contained in the Upney Lease? How long is the Lease? Plenty Upney leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service bill for maintenance of the block set on behalf of the landlord. If you acquire the apartment you will have to meet this charge, usually periodically during the year. This can vary from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large communal grounds. In all probability there will be a rentcharge to be met yearly, this is usually not a large sum, say around £50-£100 but you should to check it because occasionally it could be surprisingly expensive.