The mortgage offer from NatWest for the remortgage of my 4 bedroom flat is to be issued within the next few days. Are you able to propose a low cost conveyancing law firm in Barnet?

You have arrived at the wrong site to search for the lowest fares for conveyancing solicitors in Barnet. Our intention is to offer cost effective conveyancing but we do not work with the cheapest lawyers. Avoid the trap of appointing organisations offering the bait of £100 conveyancing in Barnet. Optimistically, in being led by low cost conveyancing, you will get your money’s worth and at worst it will result in you paying a lot in extras and still not end up with the service required.

I own a freehold residence in Barnet but still charged rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Barnet and has limited impact for conveyancing in Barnet but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.

Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges date back hundreds of years, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the establishment of fresh rentcharges post 1977.

Old rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence in 2037 is to be extinguished.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Barnet. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Lloyds have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

As you are obtaining a mortgage with Lloyds your lawyer must follow the conveyancing instructions set out in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Lloyds. The CML Handbook contains minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Lloyds where a lease does not comply with these requirements. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not restricted to Barnet.

I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Barnet. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their lawyer. I paid an advanced payment of £150. Not long after, the lawyer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Kent Reliance panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

My offer on a house in Barnet has been agreed to, but there is a chain. The sellers have put an offer on somewhere, however it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other apartments booked. I have instructed a high street conveyancing solicitor in Barnet. What do I do now? At what point do I apply for the mortgage with Santander?

It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (mortgage application is approx one thousand pounds, then survey, Barnet conveyancing search costs, etc). First, you should check that your solicitor is on the Santander conveyancing panel. Regarding the subsequent phase this very much dictated by the specifics of your case, motivation for the property and on the state of the market. During a buoyant market some purchasers would apply for the mortgage with Santander and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their conveyancer to press on with searches.

I am looking for a flat up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Barnet I like with amenity areas and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 61 years on the lease. There is not much else in Barnet suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?

If you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term may be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Barnet conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Barnet conveyancing firm) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you talk with several firms including non Barnet conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be useful:

Can they put you in touch with clients in Barnet who can give a testimonial? How experienced is the firm with lease extension legislation?

I am the proprietor of a a ground floor purpose built flat in Barnet. Given that I can not reach agreement with the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the sum payable for a lease extension?

You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Barnet conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Barnet property is Flat 2 2 Netherfield Road in April 2010. The Tribunale held that premium payable for a 90 year extension to the existing Lease should be £7,705. This case related to 1 flat. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 76 years.