I have been referred to a conveyancing solicitor in Barbican. I I would like to check whether they are on the Barclays Direct approved list of lawyers. Could you help?

The first thing you should do is phone your conveyancer and enquire if they can act for the lender. Otherwise please call Barclays Direct who may be able to help.

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build apartment in Barbican. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.

Here is a sample of a few leasehold new build questions that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Barbican

If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a quick, chain free conveyancing. Barbican is the location of the property. Is there any advice you can impart?

Flying freeholds in Barbican are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Barbican you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Barbican 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 property.

I've recently bought a leasehold property in Barbican. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?

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. However, 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 have had difficulty in trying to purchase the freehold in Barbican. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

Where there is a absentee landlord or if there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the LVT to judgment on the premium.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Barbican premises is 137 & 139 Haberdasher Street in December 2013. The Tribunal determines in accordance with section 48 and Schedule 13 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 that the premium for the extended lease for each Property should be £12,350.00. This case related to 2 flats. The unexpired term was 72.39 years.

What tools are available to find a Barbican conveyancing solicitor on the mortgage company conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 15kilometers to meet the lawyer.

Feel free to make use of the find a conveyancing panel tool on this page. Please choose the lender and your location, in this case Barbican and you will see a number of lawyer located nearest Barbican. Alternatively you can type in the name of your proposed law firm and see if they are listed as being on the lender solicitor panel.