I am purchasing residence in Southgate. My Conveyancer has never been on on the bank solicitor list. Can I still continue with my Southgate conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the bank panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?

You have a couple of choices available to you here

• Carry on with your chosen Southgate conveyancer but your bank will no doubt appoint a property lawyer on their conveyancing panel. The net result is additional cost together with likely interruption.
• Appoint a new solicitor to conduct the conveyancing, ensuring that they are on the lender conveyancing panel.
• Convince your conveyancing practitioner to pull out all the stops to get listed on the bank’s panel of solicitors

What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Southgate? Why is this being asked of me?

It is indeed that case that these requests have nothing to do with conveyancing in Southgate. Nowadays you will not be able to complete any conveyancing deal if you have not handing over proof of your identity. This usually takes the form of a either your passport or driving licence as well as a utility bill. Please note that if you are providing your driving licence as evidence of ID it must be both the paper part and photo card part, one is not sufficient without the other.

Verification of the origin of monies is necessary in accordance with the Money Laundering Regulations. You should not be offended when when this is requested of you as your lawyer will need to have this information on record. Your Southgate conveyancing solicitor will require evidence of proof of funds before they are able to accept any monies from you into their client account and they should also ask additional questions regarding the source of funds.

Have completed on a a detached house in Southgate , how long will it take for the Land Registry to register my title? My Southgate conveyancing solicitor works at snail pace, so I want to be sure that my ownership is registered.

As far as conveyancing in Southgate registration is no faster or slower than the rest of the country. Rather than based on location, timeframes can adjust according to the party submitting the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry must send notices to any 3rd persons or bodies. At present approximately three quarters of submission are fully addressed within two weeks but some can be subject to longer delays. Historically registration takes place once the purchaser is living at the property so post completion formalities is not typically an essential issue yet where it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your solicitor must contact the land registry and explain the circumstances.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and found one near me in Southgate I like with a park and railway links nearby, the downside is that it only has 52 years on the lease. There is not much else in Southgate suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?

If you require a mortgage that many years will likely be an issue. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you may request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Southgate. Conveyancing and The Royal Bank of Scotland mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing solicitor in Southgate who acted for me is not around. Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to make sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to instruct a Southgate conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord to extend my lease without success. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on such matters? Can you recommend a Southgate conveyancing firm to assist?

in cases where there is a missing freeholder or if there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant legislation it is possible to make an application to the LVT to arrive at the amount due.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Southgate flat is 23 Beaconsfield Road in July 2013. The Tribunals decided that the amount payable was £31,203 for the freehold. This case affected 2 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 70.31 years.