All was ready to move into my new home in Royal Tunbridge Wells next Monday. My lawyer now wants me to supply her with evidence of content and building insurance for the property as as she informs me that she is duty bound to validate that it is in order for the mortgage company. What does the insurance need to cover?

All property lawyers on acting for mortgage companies would need to check that the following risks are covered fire; lightning; aircraft; explosion; earthquake; storm; flood; escape of water or oil; riot; malicious damage; theft or attempted theft; falling trees and branches and aerials; subsidence; heave;landslip;collision;accidental damage to underground services;professional fees, demolition and site clearance costs; and public liability to anyone else. There are some other issues such as the level of excess that are set out in a lender’s Part 2 conditions. These requirements are not limited to conveyancing in Royal Tunbridge Wells.

I had intended to instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Royal Tunbridge Wells for our house purchase. Our financial adviser has since notified us that our mortgage company Bank of Scotland won't deal with them. Surely this is unfair competition?

Mortgage Companies in the main imposes restrictions either the category or the amount of conveyancing solicitors on their member panel. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the profile of firm, a few banks have reduced the number of solicitor practices they permit to represent them. You should note that Bank of Scotland have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Bank of Scotland Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the reduction of solicitor panels since 2008 even though there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Figures from the Land Registry indicate that thousands of law firms, including some in or near Royal Tunbridge Wells only conduct very few conveyances a year.

It has been four months since my purchase conveyancing in Royal Tunbridge Wells concluded. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the property from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I opted to have a survey done on a house in Royal Tunbridge Wells in advance of retaining lawyers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. Our surveyor advised that some mortgage companies will not give a mortgage on such a premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different instructions for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can look into this further with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Royal Tunbridge Wells especially if they are familiar with such properties in Royal Tunbridge Wells.

In relation to leasehold conveyancing in Royal Tunbridge Wells what are the most common lease defects?

Leasehold conveyancing in Royal Tunbridge Wells is not unique. All leases are individual and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain sections are wrong. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

A duty to insure the building

You could have a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Birmingham Midshires, Virgin Money, and Bank of Ireland all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to provide security, obliging the buyer to withdraw.

I am the registered owner of a leasehold flat in Royal Tunbridge Wells, conveyancing was carried out May 2009. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Comparable properties in Royal Tunbridge Wells with a long lease are worth £207,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £60 yearly. The lease expires on 21st October 2082

With 57 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £28,500 and £33,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.