My uncle passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Castle Eden. The house had a small mortgage left on it of around £8000. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Clydesdale, pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?

If you plan to refinance then Clydesdale will require that you use a conveyancer on the Clydesdale 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 Clydesdale 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 Clydesdale mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

What will a local search reveal regarding the property I am buying in Castle Eden?

Castle Eden conveyancing often starts with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company for instance Searchflow The local search is essential in every Castle Eden conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any unpleasant once you have moved into your property. The search will provide data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen subject headings.

The deeds to my house are lost. The conveyancers who conducted the conveyancing in Castle Eden 10 years ago no longer exist. What are my options?

Gone are the days when you need to hold title deeds to prove you are the owner of your registered land or premises, as the Land Registry hold details of all registered land or property electronically.

I opted to have a survey done on a house in Castle Eden ahead of retaining conveyancers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. Our surveyor advised that some lenders tend not grant a mortgage on this type of premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different requirements from Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can check with the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Castle Eden. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Castle Eden especially if they are accustomed to such properties in Castle Eden.

I work for a reputable estate agency in Castle Eden where we have witnessed a few leasehold sales put at risk as a result of short leases. I have received conflicting advice from local Castle Eden conveyancing solicitors. Please can you shed some light as to whether the vendor of a flat can start the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

As long as the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer can avoid having to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

I invested in buying a basement flat in Castle Eden, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Castle Eden with over 90 years remaining are worth £176,000. The ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2103

You have 79 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £8,600 and £9,800 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.