In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Barons Court? Is this really necessary?

To satisfy the Money Laundering Regulations any Barons Court conveyancing firm will require evidence of your identity in all conveyancing matters. This is normally dealt with by provision of a passport and an original bank statement or utility bill evidencing your correct address.

Under Money Laundering Regulations, conveyancers are required to check not simply the ID of conveyancing clients but also the source of the money that they receive in respect of any matter. Refusal to disclose this will result in your conveyancer terminating their retainer with you, as clearly this will cause a conflict between the set Regulations and a refusal to disclose.

Your conveyancers are duty bound to notify the appropriate authorities should they believe that any monies received by them may contravene the Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Barons Court?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Barons Court. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

Taking into account that I am about to spend 450k on a property in Barons Court I would like to talk to a lawyer regarding theconveyancing ahead of instructing the firm. Can this be arranged?

Absolutely - we would be pleased to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you liaising with the conveyancer who will be carrying out your property ownership legalities in Barons Court.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is unique individual, not a case number. The law firms that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are calculated and presented to you for residential conveyancing in Barons Court should be the figure that you end up paying.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Barons Court from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Barons Court can be reduced where you appoint lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ solicitors.
If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should make sure that you hold the original share document. Arranging a duplicate share certificate is often a time consuming formality and delays many a Barons Court home move. If a reissued share certificate is needed, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (where applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity. You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but you should double-check by asking your solicitors. A purchaser's conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is below 80 years. It is therefore essential at an early stage that you identify whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale. If you have had conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a flat where a dispute is ongoing. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as historic rather than unsettled. Some Barons Court leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers.

I am the registered owner of a garden flat in Barons Court. In the absence of agreement between myself and the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the sum due for a lease extension?

Most definitely. We can put you in touch with a Barons Court conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a Barons Court residence is 19 Crisp Road in June 2009. Following a vesting order (Under section 26 of the Leasehold Reform,Housing and Urban Development Act 1993) The tribunal determined that the premium payable for the acquisition of the freehold was £33,756,apportioned as to£12,285 for the lower at and £21,471for the upper fat. This case was in relation to 2 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 68.32 years.

Partway through the sale of a leasehold flat in Barons Court. Conveyancing lawyers are doing their job but we are being charged an extortionate amount by the freeholder. So far we have issued a cheque for £275 for a leasehold management pack and then a further £117.20 for supplemental questions raised by the buyers lawyer.

Neither you or your solicitor will have any sway over the level of the bill for this information however the average costs for the information for Barons Court leasehold property is £355. When it comes to Barons Court conveyancing deals it is standard for the owner to pay for these charges. The landlord or their agents are not duty bound to answer these questions although many will agree to do so - albeit often at high prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Regretfully there is no legislation that requires set charges for administrative tasks. Nor is there any statutory time limit by which they are obliged to provide answers.