Much to our surprise we have been advised by our lender that my Belsize Park property lawyer is not on the lender Conveyancing panel. What can I do to be sure that this is correct?

The first thing you need to do is to call your Belsize Park lawyer directly. You lawyer should notify you what has happened. If they are not on the panel they may be able to suggest a Belsize Park conveyancing practice that is on the approved list of lawyers for your bank.

My conveyancer has uncovered a a legal deficiency with the lease for the flat we are buying in Belsize Park. The seller’s lawyers have suggested defective title insurance as a workaround. We are content with insurance and will pay for it. Our property lawyer has advised that he must be satisfied that the bank is content with this solution. Who is the client here, us or the bank?

Notwithstanding that you have a mortgage offer from the lender does not mean to say that the property will meet their specifications for the purposes of a mortgage. Your lawyer has to ensure that the lease has to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook specifications. You and the mortgage company are the client. The appropriate lender conditions have to be complied with.

This question may be naive but I am wet behind the ears as a first time buyer of a garden flat in Belsize Park. Do I receive the keys to the house on completion from my conveyancer? If so, I will find a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Belsize Park?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Conveyancing lawyers for you will arrange to send the completion advance to the seller's lawyers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be able to collect the keys from the selling Agents and move into your new home. This tends to happen between 1 and 3pm.

I am purchasing a property in Belsize Park. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Nottingham be concerned?

As your lender is Nottingham your lawyer must follow the conveyancing instructions outlined in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Nottingham. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook stipulates minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancing practitioners are required to report to Nottingham where a lease fails to satisfy these requirements. The specifications relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not limited to Belsize Park.

I'm in the throws of looking at flats in Belsize Park and I am about to put in an offer. Is it too early to have a solicitor in place? I am planning to take a home loan with Clydesdale.

You should start requesting conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the selling agent. As you are obtaining a mortgage with Clydesdale, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

Should commercial conveyancing searches reveal planned roadworks that could affect a commercial property in Belsize Park?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Belsize Park will carry out a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers spend in researching accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Belsize Park. The search result sets out definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Belsize Park.

For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Belsize Park it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately may result in delays to Belsize Park commercial conveyancing deals as well as pose a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not conducted for residential conveyancing in Belsize Park.

I own a leasehold house in Belsize Park. Conveyancing and Bank of Ireland mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing solicitor in Belsize Park who acted for me is not around. Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to be sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. You do not need to instruct a Belsize Park conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I am the registered owner of a first floor flat in Belsize Park. Given that I can not reach agreement with the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the premium payable for the purchase of the freehold?

Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Belsize Park conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Belsize Park property is First Floor Flat 20 Fitzjohns Avenue in July 2014. the Tribunal decided that the premiums to be paid for new leases in respect of the Raised Ground Floor Flat and the First Floor Flat were to be calculated as: Raised Ground Floor: £765,175.14 First Floor: £601,617.77 This case affected 2 flats. The unexpired term was 16.83 and 16.43.