I am acquiring a house for cash in Canonbury. I have been living for the last 15 years in Canonbury. Conveyancing searches are expensive. As I have knowledge of the road and vicinity very well must I have all the conveyancing searches?

If you not getting a mortgage, then the vast majority of the Canonbury conveyancing searches are optional. Your solicitor will 'advise', perhaps strongly, that you should have searches completed, but he has a professional duty to take that path of advice. One thing to take into account; if you are likely to sell the house in the future, it could be of importance to your prospective buyer what the searches reveal. Sometimes properties with functional issues can still throw up adverse search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Canonbury should provide you some sensible advice concerning this.

A relative advised me that in buying a property in Canonbury there may be a number of restrictions prohibiting external alterations to a property. Is this right?

There are a number of properties in Canonbury which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Canonbury should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

I'm the single beneficiary of my late mum's estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Canonbury. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in November. I now wish to sell up. I do know about the CML six month 'rule', which means that my property ownership will be regarded the same way as though I had purchased the property in November. Do I have to wait half a year to sell?

The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook obliges conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you may be affected by that. How sensible a view mortgage companies take of it, depend on the bank as this clause is chiefly there to pick up on the purchase and immediately sell or the flipping of property.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Canonbury off the council. I have a mortgage offer with UBS. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with UBS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the UBS conveyancing panel.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our property are lost. The solicitors who dealt with the conveyancing in Canonbury 4 years ago are no longer around. What are my options?

Nowadays there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your conveyancer will be aware precisely where to look for all the suitable documentation so you may buy or sell your property without any difficulty. If duplicates can’t be located, your conveyancer may be able to put in place insurance or indemnities against future claims on the property.

In what way can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 affect my commercial premises in Canonbury and how can you help?

The particular law that you refer to provides security of tenure to business lessees, granting the a statutory right to apply to court for a renewal tenancy and remain in occupation at the end of the lease term. There are limited grounds that a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are complicated. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing firms who use the act for protection and help with commercial conveyancing in Canonbury

I've recently bought a leasehold property in Canonbury. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner 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 have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord to extend my lease without any joy. Can a leaseholder apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Canonbury conveyancing firm to represent me?

in cases where there is a missing landlord or where there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to make a decision on the sum to be paid.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Canonbury residence is 5C Stoke Newington Road in April 2010. the Tribunal therefore concludes that the premium to be paid for the extended lease is £700.00 This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired term was 80.5 years.