My aunt passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Abingdon. The house had a small mortgage remaining of approximately £5k. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to UBS, pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?

If you intend to refinance then UBS will require that you use a conveyancer on the UBS conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your UBS conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the UBS mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

My wife and I own a renovated Georgian house in Abingdon. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Chelsea Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the matching property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Abingdon and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the purchase.

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build flat in Abingdon. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build legal work.

Here are examples of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Abingdon

Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier? Please supply a car parking plan. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease.

My husband and I are four weeks into a freehold purchase having been directed to conveyancers by the high street agent to carry out the conveyancing in Abingdon. I am am starting to be dissatisfied with the level of service. Can you you assist me in finding new conveyancers?

They would have to be really bad in order to consider changing them. Has your mortgage been generated? In the event that it has you need to inform them of the replacement lawyer and have the offer are re-issued. Your solicitor ideally should be on the mortgage company approved list to avoid supplemental fees and delays. That should be your first question of the new solicitors. The find a solicitor tool will help you find a bank approved conveyancer for your conveyancing in Abingdon

I've found a house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently discovered that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a leasehold house in Abingdon. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Abingdon are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area who can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in Abingdon so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Abingdon conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a tenant you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the freeholder’spermission to carry out changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the house is located on an estate. Your solicitor should appraise you on the various issues.

I invested in buying a garden flat in Abingdon, conveyancing was carried out in 2010. How much will my lease extension cost? Equivalent properties in Abingdon with a long lease are worth £180,000. The ground rent is £65 per annum. The lease runs out on 21st October 2083

With just 59 years unexpired the likely cost is going to span between £20,900 and £24,200 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.