Are the Camden conveyancing solicitors identified as being on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel, together with their details provided by Clydesdale?

Camden conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Clydesdale directly.

We wish to acquire a newbuild flat in Camden with a homeloan from Chelsea Building Society.We have a Camden conveyancing solicitor but Chelsea Building Society says his firm is not on their approved list of firms. It seems we have little choice but to instruct a Chelsea Building Society panel firm or keep our high street solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to act for them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. The loan issued to you is subject to its terms and conditions, a common one being that solicitors will be on the Chelsea Building Society approved list. in the past, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could find one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Chelsea Building Society

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build apartment in Camden. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build legal work.

Here are examples of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Camden

Please supply a car parking plan. Please confirm the Lease plans are architect prepared. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I have offered on a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a quick, no chain conveyancing. Camden is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Camden are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Camden you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Camden may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

Last July I purchased a leasehold flat in Camden. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Having spent years of correspondence we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Camden. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

in cases where there is a missing landlord or if there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to calculate the sum to be paid.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Camden property 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 lease term was 64.77 years.