I am under pressure from the seller of a property in Freshwater Bay to exchange within four weeks. What can be done to accelerate the legal process?

First, If you are under a tight deadline for your conveyancing it is highly recommended that your conveyancer is familiar with the location as they will make use of local relationships and insight. It is even conceivable that they would have conducted otherhomes in the same street. You would be best advised to use a Freshwater Bay conveyancing solicitor. In addition, check that the conveyancing firm is on the on the approved list for your mortgage company. It is said that 18% of Freshwater Bay conveyancing deals are held up or derailed after finding out that a purchaser’s lawyer was not on their banks member panel. This can often result in the transaction being held up by almost three weeks. It is claimed that this issue impacts approximately one hundred thousand home sales every year. Almost all Freshwater Bay conveyancing practices can not represent certain banks so do check at the outset.

I own a terraced Edwardian property in Freshwater Bay. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Barnsley Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same property. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Freshwater Bay and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also check the position with the conveyancing lawyer who carried out the work.

Just had an offer accepted on a new build flat in Freshwater Bay. Conveyancing is a frightening process 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 conveyancing.

Set out below are examples of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Freshwater Bay

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. Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier? Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. Please confirm the Lease plans are architect prepared. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose?

I am employed by a reputable estate agency in Freshwater Bay where we have experienced a few flat sales derailed due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Freshwater Bay conveyancing firms. Please can you shed some light as to whether the seller of a flat can start the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer can avoid having to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord 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 purchaser.

I purchased a basement flat in Freshwater Bay, conveyancing formalities finalised 5 years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Corresponding flats in Freshwater Bay with over 90 years remaining are worth £227,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 2098

You have 72 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to be between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. 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. You should not move forward based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

Should one as executor remove a deceased person's details from the title deeds for a property in Freshwater Bay?

Where a Freshwater Bay property is jointly owned and one of the proprietors passes away, the name will not immediately be removed from the Land Registry title. It is not necessary to amend the title as when it comes to a disposal you would simply be asked to evidence why the other owner is missing from the conveyance, usually this takes the form of a grant of probate.

With a view to making the sale conveyancing smoother for the sale of the property you may arrange to have the deceased person erased from the title register by applying to HM Land Registry with proof of the death. There is no land registry fee payable.