We have rather brash vendors who has insisted on a lock out contract with a payment 10k. Are such agreements generally advanced for North Kensington conveyancing transactions?

Lock out contracts are agreements binding a home vendor and purchaser granting the buyer the sole right to the sale of the property for a certain period of time. For all intents and purposes, a lock out agreement is a contract specifying that you should receive a contract at a later date which is the contract for the actual sale. It tends to be utilised for buyer protection though in some cases, the owner may enjoy an upside from such agreements as well. There are various pros and cons to having them but you need to check with your solicitor but beware that it may end up incurring more in conveyancing charges. In light of these reasons these agreements are rare in relation to conveyancing in North Kensington.

I happen to be the sole recipient of my late father’s estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the my former home in North Kensington. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in January. I plan to dispose of the property. I do know about the Mortgage Lenders six month 'rule', meaning my property ownership may be treated the same way as though I had purchased the property in January. Will no one buy the property for half a year?

The CML handbook mandates 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 might be impacted by that. Some mortgage companies would take a pragmatic view as this requirement is principally there to pick up on the purchase and immediately sell or the wholesaling and assigning of property.

I'm in the throws of looking at houses in North Kensington and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it too early to have a solicitor in place? I am planning to take a mortgage with Virgin Money.

It would be wise to instigate your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the estate agent. Given that you are taking out a mortgage with Virgin Money, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Co-operative. I assume I don't need a North Kensington lawyer on the Co-operative panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your Co-operative mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Co-operative mortgage from the register. Co-operative, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Co-operative has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Co-operative has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I have offered on a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a simple, chain free conveyancing. North Kensington is where the house is located. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in North Kensington are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside North Kensington you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in North Kensington may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.

I've found a house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable price which is making it all the more appealing. I have just been informed that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in North Kensington. Conveyancing solicitors have not yet been appointed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in North Kensington are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in North Kensington in which case you should be shopping around for a North Kensington conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in advising on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions for example obtaining the landlord’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the house is located on an estate. Your solicitor will appraise you on the various issues.

Following months of correspondence we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in North Kensington. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

Most certainly. We can put you in touch with a North Kensington conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a North Kensington premises is 93 Oakwood Court in June 2010. the LVT determined that the premium to be paid for the new lease was £492,083, This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 37.79 years.

At what stage do I incur the Stamp Duty Land Tax due for my North Kensington property purchase?

The majority of conveyancers tend to fill out a stamp duty return on your behalf as part of your North Kensington purchase transaction for signature. On completion your solicitor will submit the STL application to the Tax Authorities and - assuming they have the funds - pay any land tax due for you.