It is is a decade since I acquired my home in Ruislip Manor. Conveyancing lawyers have recently been appointed on the sale but I am unable to find my deeds. Is this a major issue?
You need not be too concerned. First there is a chance that the deeds will be retained by the lender or they may stored with the solicitor who handled your purchase. Secondly the chances are that the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Ruislip Manor relates to registered property but in the rare situation where your property is unregistered it is more of a problem but is not insurmountable.
I own a renovated Georgian house in Ruislip Manor. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and TSB. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the matching address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Ruislip Manor and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the work.
How does conveyancing in Ruislip Manor differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Ruislip Manor contact us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is completed. This is because developers in Ruislip Manor tend to purchase the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Ruislip Manor or who has acted in the same development.
I am four weeks into a leasehold purchase having been directed to solicitors by the selling agent to handle our conveyancing in Ruislip Manor. I am am starting to be dissatisfied with the level of service. Can you help me find new conveyancers?
They would have to be very bad in order to consider replacing them. Has your loan offer been issued? In the event that it has you need to inform them of the replacement lawyer and have the mortgage documents are issued to the new lawyers. Your conveyancer should be on the mortgage company approved list to avoid supplemental expenses and complications. That should be your first question of the new lawyers. The search tool should assist you in finding a bank approved solicitor for your home move in Ruislip Manor
I've recently bought a leasehold house in Ruislip Manor. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?
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. Strange as it may seem, 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 be sure 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 am the proprietor of a two-bedroom flat in Ruislip Manor. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the premium payable for the purchase of the freehold?
Where there is a missing landlord or where there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant statutes it is possible to make an application to the LVT to arrive at the premium.
An example of a Lease Extension case for a Ruislip Manor premises is Flat 72 Queens Walk in January 2013. The Tribunals calculated the premium payable to be £22,090. This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 53.26 years.