Our conveyancer has identified a a legal deficiency with the lease for the property we are buying in Catterick Garrison. The other side have offered defective title insurance as a workaround. We are content with insurance and will cover the costs. Our property lawyer has advised that he must check that the bank is content with this solution. Are we the client or is the bank?

Even though you have a mortgage offer from the mortgage company does not mean to say that the property will meet their requirements for the purposes of a mortgage. Your lawyer has to ensure that the lease has to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. You and the lender are the client. The appropriate lender specifications have to be complied with.

My grandfather passed away 10 months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Catterick Garrison. The house had a relatively small loan left on it of around £8000. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to HSBC, pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?

Where you intend to re-mortgage then HSBC will require that you use a conveyancer on the HSBC 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 HSBC 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 HSBC mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

Will commercial conveyancing searches reveal impending roadworks that may affect a commercial premises in Catterick Garrison?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Catterick Garrison will perform a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers expend in investigating accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Catterick Garrison. The search result provides definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Catterick Garrison.

For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Catterick Garrison it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately can cause delays to Catterick Garrison commercial conveyancing transactions as well as pose a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not ordered for residential conveyancing in Catterick Garrison.

Is it best to choose a Catterick Garrison conveyancing lawyer in close proximity to the house I am hoping to buy? I have an old university friend who can execute the legal work but they are based approximately 350miles drive away.

The benefit of a local Catterick Garrison conveyancing practice is that you can visit the firm to execute documents, present your ID and pester them if necessary. Having local Catterick Garrison know how is a plus. That being said it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have instructed your friend and the majority were impressed that should outweigh using an unfamiliar Catterick Garrison conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being local.

Last June I purchased a leasehold flat in Catterick Garrison. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

In a situation 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. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part 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 own a split level flat in Catterick Garrison, conveyancing formalities finalised 7 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Catterick Garrison with a long lease are worth £185,000. The ground rent is £65 charged once a year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2084

With 60 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £20,000 and £23,000 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.