I am assisting my niece sell her flat in Camden. Will the conveyancing solicitor arrange an energy performance certificate or should I organise this?

Following the abolition of Home Packs, energy assessments was retained a mandatory element of moving house. An energy performance certificate needs to be commissioned before the property is placed on the market. It is not something that solicitors ordinarily arrange. If you are instructing a Camden conveyancing lawyer they might help arrange energy assessments due to their relationships with reputable local providers

is it true that all Camden solicitors on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?

As solicitors, in order to be on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel they would need to be overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many mortgage companies do list licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the practice would be governed by the CLC.

I currently have a mortgage with Santander for my property in Camden. Conveyancing has been completed some time ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Santander?

You must advise Santander prior to renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Santander’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Santander directly. You need not do this via a Santander conveyancing panel lawyer.

My partner and I are selling our property in Camden and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was constructed land that was not decontaminated. A high street Camden lawyer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the buyers used a national conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Camden. Having lived in Camden for many years we know of no issue. Should we get in touch with our local Authority to get clarification need.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor already. What do they say? You must enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)

It has been 2 months since my purchase conveyancing in Camden completed. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Camden with the aid of help to buy. The developers refused to budge the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The sale representative suggested that I not disclose to my lawyer about this side-deal as it would put at risk my mortgage with National Westminster Bank. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I've found a house that appears to be perfect, at a reasonable figure which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently discovered that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Camden. Conveyancing advisers have are soon to be instructed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Camden are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are buying in Camden so you should seriously consider looking for a Camden conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they are used to transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions such as requiring the landlord’sconsent to carry out changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will advise you fully on all the issues.

I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord for a lease extension without success. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on such matters? Can you recommend a Camden conveyancing firm to help?

Where there is a missing freeholder 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 First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to judgment on the amount due.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Camden flat is Flat 2 27 Mackeson Road in December 2012. The Tribunal assessed the value of the lease extension premium at £35,435 and rounded the figure to £35,500 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired term was 64.77 years.