Recently contacted my conveyancing lawyer in Castleton and Blacktown who conducted the legals 18 months ago and wanted a conveyancing estimate based on an identical type of house move (a leasehold residence and a freehold premises) of almost identical values with a home loan from Chelsea Building Society. I am now being quoted twice the amount. Am I right to be tempted to shop around for an alternative firm of conveyancing solicitor?

The charges appear a little high. Where you are content to spend time comparing costs you might reduce the fees slightly by say £100 plus VAT. On the other hand, if you were content with the conveyancing the firm offered you couldlive to regret choosing an an unknown conveyancer. If is important to check that the firm can also act for Chelsea Building Society. You can make use of our search tool to find a Castleton and Blacktown conveyancing firm on the Chelsea Building Society member panel, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Castleton and Blacktown.

I am purchasing a newly built flat in Castleton and Blacktown and my solicitor is telling me that she is duty bound to the mortgage company to disclose incentives from the developer. I am on a tight deadline to exchange contracts and I have no desire to prolong deal. is my lawyer playing by the book?

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

I am helping my aunt sell her property in Castleton and Blacktown. Will the conveyancing solicitor order the energy performance certificate or do I organise this?

After the demise of HIPs, energy assessments remained a required component of selling a property. An energy performance certificate should be commissioned in advance of the property being marketed. This is not a task that law firms normally organise. If you are instructing a Castleton and Blacktown conveyancing practitioner they might be willing to arrange EPC’s due to their contacts with long established local providers

This question may be naive but I am unseasoned as a 1st time buyer of a garden flat in Castleton and Blacktown. Do I receive the keys to the house on completion from my conveyancer? If so, I will find a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Castleton and Blacktown?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Conveyancing lawyers for you will transfer the purchase money to the seller's solicitors, and once they have received this, you will be able to receive the keys from the selling Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen between 1 and 3pm.

I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in May 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Leeds Building Society are being difficult. The Castleton and Blacktown solicitor who is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Leeds Building Society are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Leeds Building Society have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Leeds Building Society have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Leeds Building Society may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build flat in Castleton and Blacktown. 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.

Set out below is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Castleton and Blacktown

The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme. The Vendor must covenant to keep unsold units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified.

What makes a Castleton and Blacktown lease problematic?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Castleton and Blacktown. All leases are individual and drafting errors can result in certain provisions are erroneous. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.

A defective lease can cause problems when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Birmingham Midshires, Barnsley Building Society, and Clydesdale all have very detailed conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the buyer to withdraw.

I purchased a ground floor flat in Castleton and Blacktown, conveyancing was carried out July 2002. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent flats in Castleton and Blacktown with an extended lease are worth £222,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2096

With only 71 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.