I note that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Am I compelled to have this when buying a residence in Twickenham Park? or Apparently there is an ancient law that could mean that house owners living in a parish church boundary will be compelled to pay for maintenance to the chancel within the church. Is this relevant for conveyancing in Twickenham Park?

Unless a prior acquisition of the property completed after 12 October 2013 you can take it that lawyers handling conveyancing in Twickenham Park to remain encouraging a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.

My wife and I purchased a renovated Georgian house in Twickenham Park. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Platform Home Loans Ltd. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be 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 Twickenham Park and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also question the position with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the conveyancing.

How does conveyancing in Twickenham Park differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Twickenham Park come to 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 Twickenham Park tend to buy the land, 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 property lawyers 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 Twickenham Park or who has acted in the same development.

I decided to have a survey done on a property in Twickenham Park prior to instructing conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. The surveyor advised that some lenders tend not grant a loan on a flying freehold property.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different instructions for example to Halifax. If you call us we can look into this further with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Twickenham Park. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Twickenham Park especially if they regularly deal with such properties in Twickenham Park.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a two maisonettes in Twickenham Park both have about fifty years unexpired on the leases. Will this present a problem?

A lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a prescribed time frame. As the lease gets shorter the marketability of the lease deteriorates and results in it becoming more costly to extend the lease. For this reason it is generally wise to increase the term of the lease. It is often difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage companies less inclined to grant a loan on such properties. Lease extension can be a protracted process. We advise that you get professional assistance from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this field.

Following years of correspondence we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Twickenham Park. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

Most certainly. We can put you in touch with a Twickenham Park conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Twickenham Park property is Flat 1 30 Ennismore Avenue in September 2010. the Tribunal adopted and arrived at a premium for the lease extension of £29, 900 This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired term was 68.34 years.