Is the fact that my conveyancer in Coombe Dingle is not identified on my mortgage company's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of the firm’s conveyancing?

It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) lack of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should simply call the Coombe Dingle conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.

The deeds to our house are lost. The solicitors who dealt with the conveyancing in Coombe Dingle 10 years ago no longer exist. Will I be able to sell the house?

Assuming the title is registered the information relating to your proprietorship will be recorded by the Land Registry under a Title Number. It is easy to execute a search at the Land Registry, find your property and order up to date copies of the Registered Entries for a small fee. Where the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will usually hold a certified duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be retrieved for twenty pounds.

Just had an offer accepted on a new build apartment in Coombe Dingle. Conveyancing is necessary evil 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 may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Coombe Dingle

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. Please supply a car parking plan. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision. 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.

How straightforward is it to use the search tool to get a costs illustration from a conveyancing practitioner in Coombe Dingle on the panel for my mortgage?

First choose a bank such as Yorkshire Building Society, Leeds Building Society or Bank of Ireland then type in your preferred area a common one being Coombe Dingle. Conveyancing organisations in Coombe Dingle and further afield should be listed.

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Coombe Dingle. Before diving in I would like to find out the number of years remaining on the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and almost all are in Coombe Dingle - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

Coombe Dingle Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should ask before buying

Most Coombe Dingle leasehold flats will incur a service charge for maintenance of the building invoiced by the management company. Where you buy the flat you will have to meet this charge, normally periodically throughout the year. This may differ from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built buildings. There will also be a rentcharge to be met annual, ordinarily this is not a significant sum, say about £50-£100 but you should to enquire it because sometimes it can be prohibitively expensive. The best form of lease arrangement is where the freehold title is owned by the leaseholders. In this scenario the tenants benefit from control and even though a managing agent is frequently employed if it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders. Best to be warned if redecorating or some other significant cost is due shortly that will be shared by the leasehold owners and will dramatically increase the the maintenance charges or require a specific payment.