Is it the case that all Friern Barnet solicitor practices on the RBS conveyancing panel are overseen by the SRA?

As solicitors, in order to be on the RBS approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. The majority of mortgage companies do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the organisation would be governed by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

I have paid off my mortgage with UBS. I assume I don't need a Friern Barnet property lawyer on the UBS panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your UBS mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the UBS mortgage from the register. UBS, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where UBS has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. UBS has instructed the Land Registry to do so

The mortgage over my property is with Virgin Money for my property in Friern Barnet. 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 buy-to-let mortgage or inform Virgin Money?

Your original mortgage agreement with Virgin Money will provide that you need their approval before letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Virgin Money’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Virgin Money will permit you to let 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 Virgin Money directly. You need not do this via a Virgin Money conveyancing panel solicitor.

My friend recommended that where I am purchasing in Friern Barnet I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is occasionally included in the estimate for your Friern Barnet conveyancing searches. It is a large report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about Friern Barnet around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Friern Barnet Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Friern Barnet Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about Friern Barnet.

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and identified one close by in Friern Barnet I like with a park and station nearby, however it's only got 49 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Friern Barnet in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?

If you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease will likely be an issue. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least twenty four months you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.

I am using a search engine for the term conveyancing in Friern Barnet it reveals many conveyancersin the area. How do I determine which is the suitable solicitor for me?

The ideal method of seeking the right conveyancer is via personal referral, so enquire of colleagues and those you trust who have acquired a property in Friern Barnet or the local estate agent or mortgage broker. Costs for conveyancing in Friern Barnet vary, so it's advisable to secure at least three costs illustrations from varying types of companies. Be sure to secure confirmation that the charges are guaranteed not to to be inflated.

I own a leasehold house in Friern Barnet. Conveyancing and Bank of Scotland mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing practitioner in Friern Barnet who previously acted has now retired. Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Friern Barnet conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord to extend my lease without success. Can I apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Friern Barnet conveyancing firm to act on my behalf?

if there is a missing freeholder or if there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant legislation you can apply to the LVT to decide the price.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Friern Barnet residence is 34 Poplar Grove in June 2013. The Tribunal directed that the premium for the lease extension should be in the sum of £10,250. This case was in relation to 1 flat.