My grandfather passed away 10 months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Copse Hill. The house had a small mortgage left on it of around £5k. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Principality, pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?

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

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Lloyds, do Copse Hill solicitors face an annual charge to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are not aware of any lender fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

We were going to get a OIP from Principality this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Principality recommend any Copse Hill solicitors on the Principality conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

You will need to appoint Copse Hill solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Principality conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Principality through the process.

It is not clear whether my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have telephoned my Copse Hill building society branch on various occasions and was reassured it wasn't an issue and they will lend. My Copse Hill conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they will not lend based on their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?

The solicitor must follow the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook section two conditions for your bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the lender will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Copse Hill?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Copse Hill. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

Given that I will soon spend over three hundred thousand on a house in Copse Hill I would like to talk to a lawyer regarding thetransaction ahead of giving the go ahead to the firm. Can this be arranged?

We could not agree more - we would be happy to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the solicitor who will be conducting your property ownership legalities in Copse Hill.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is unique person, not a matter number. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are calculated and presented to you for residential conveyancing in Copse Hill should be the amount on the final invoice that you end up paying.

All being well we will complete the sale of our £200,000 flat in Copse Hill in just under a week. The management company has quoted £420 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Copse Hill?

Copse Hill conveyancing on leasehold flats usually results in administration charges invoiced by management companies :

Answering conveyancing due diligence enquiries Where consent is required before sale in Copse Hill Supplying insurance information Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Copse Hill leasehold premises is £350. For Copse Hill conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are required to provide the information.

I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord to extend my lease without any joy. Can I make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Copse Hill conveyancing firm to help?

in cases where there is a absentee freeholder or if there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant legislation you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to judgment on the premium.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Copse Hill flat is 83 Balvernie Grove in February 2012. The Tribunal assessed the price to be paid by the leaseholder to the freeholder for the lease extension pursuant to section 48 of the Leasehold Reform Housing & Urban Development Act 1993 should be£16,603.00 This case related to 1 flat. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 69.32 years.