My aunt passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Blakeney. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £8000. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Skipton, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?

Where you intend to refinance then Skipton will require that you use a conveyancer on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Skipton conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Skipton mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

We are purchasing a flat in Blakeney. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a solicitor? At some point we have to put money into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our money?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Blakeney. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

Most lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.

I can not work out if my lender requires a lease extension. I have telephoned my Blakeney bank branch on a couple of occasions and was told it does not affect the mortgage offer and they will lend. My Blakeney conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- called and was told they refuse to lend based on their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?

Provided that the conveyancing practitioner is on the lender approved list, they must adhere to the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook provisions for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

I have justfound out that Wolstenholmes have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Blakeney for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 12 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is in my name in the name of the previous owner?

The easiest method to check if the premises is in your name, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Blakeney conveyancing specialists.

Due to the guidance of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Blakeney in advance of appointing lawyers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. The surveyor advised that some banks tend not issue a mortgage on this type of premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you call us we can check via the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Blakeney. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Blakeney especially if they regularly deal with such properties in Blakeney.

I have recently realised that I have Sixty One years unexpired on my lease in Blakeney. I now wish to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. What are my options?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to track down the lessor. In some cases a specialist would be helpful to conduct investigations and prepare an expert document to be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor both on devolving into the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Blakeney.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Blakeney - Examples of Queries before buying

Does the lease have onerous restrictions? It would be sensible to find out as much as you can about the company managing the building as they will impact your use and enjoyment of the property. Being a leasehold owner you are often in the clutches of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to day to day matters such as the cleanliness of the common parts. Ask other people what they think of them. Finally, be sure you know the dates that the service charges are due to the managing agents and precisely what you get for your money. It is important to be aware whether a new roof is being put on or some other major work is pending to be shared between the leaseholders and will dramatically increase the the maintenance charges or necessitate a specific payment.