I am in a contract race with another prospective purchaser for a property in Cockfosters. What can be done to speed up the legal process?

In a situation where the seller is applying time constraints for your conveyancing we would recommend that your solicitor is familiar with the area as they will benefit local connections and knowledge. It is possible that they would have handled previoushomes in the same street. Therefore consider using a Cockfosters conveyancing lawyer. Second, make sure that the conveyancing firm is on the lender panel. It is claimed that 18% of Cockfosters conveyancing transactions are frustrated or jeopardised after finding out that a buyer’s lawyer was not on their mortgage lender’s list of approved solicitors. This can often result in the legal transfer of property being frustrated by almost three weeks. It is estimated that this issue affects approximately one hundred thousand home moves every year. Almost all Cockfosters conveyancing practices can not act for certain lenders so do check as early as possible.

There is lots of here concerning conveyancing in Cockfosters but what is your top tip for finding the right conveyancer in Cockfosters

It would be unwise to be swayed by the cheapest Cockfosters conveyancing fees. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

We are getting the release of further funds on our mortgage from Virgin Money as we intend to conduct improvements to our house in Cockfosters. Are we obliged to select a high street Cockfosters solicitor on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Virgin Money do not ordinarily require firms on their conveyancing panel to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.

I have instructed a Cockfosters lawyer having checked that they are on the Principality conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Principality will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Principality will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your conveyancer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Cockfosters postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Principality, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Cockfosters.

I am buying a new build apartment in Cockfosters. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Set out below are examples of a few leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Cockfosters

There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore.

Hoping to buy a property located in Cockfosters and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Cockfosters. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Cockfosters area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Cockfosters. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

My partner and I may need to let out our Cockfosters basement flat for a while due to taking a sabbatical. We instructed a Cockfosters conveyancing practice in 2001 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to seek any advice as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

A small minority of properties in Cockfosters do contain a provision to say that subletting is only allowed with permission. The landlord is not entitled to unreasonably refuse but, in such cases, they would need to review references. Experience suggests that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting permission.

Notwithstanding our best endeavours, we have been unsuccessful in trying to purchase the freehold in Cockfosters. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

in cases where there is a absentee freeholder 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 arrive at the price.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a Cockfosters property is 23 Beaconsfield Road in July 2013. The Tribunals decided that the amount payable was £31,203 for the freehold. This case affected 2 flats. The unexpired lease term was 70.31 years.