I have a renovated Edwardian property in Hadley Wood. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Leeds Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same address. Is it worth asking Leeds Building Society to clarify?

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 Hadley Wood and other locations in 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 situation with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the conveyancing.

I am buying my first flat in Hadley Wood with a loan from Coventry Building Society. The developers refused to reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The property agent suggested that I not to tell my solicitor about the extras as it will affect my loan with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor for sale conveyancing in Hadley Wood. I've land on a site which seems to have the ideal solution If there is a chance to get all this stuff done via phone that would be preferable. Should I be concerned? What are the potential pitfalls?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Hadley Wood from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Hadley Wood can be bypassed where you instruct lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ representatives.
If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should ensure that you are holding the original share document. Arranging a replacement share certificate can be a time consuming process and frustrates many a Hadley Wood home move. Where a reissued share certificate is needed, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if applicable) for this sooner rather than later. If there is a history of conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where there is a current dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to present the dispute as over rather than unsettled. If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Hadley Wood leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such changes. Should you dont have the consents to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without contacting your lawyer in advance. A minority of Hadley Wood leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers.

I am the leaseholder of a ground-floor 1960’s flat in Hadley Wood. In the absence of agreement between myself and the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the sum due for the purchase of the freehold?

Most definitely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Hadley Wood conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Hadley Wood premises is Flat 2 2 Netherfield Road in April 2010. The Tribunale held that premium payable for a 90 year extension to the existing Lease should be £7,705. This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 76 years.

My partner is purchasing a shared ownership flat in Hadley Wood. He was given a quote by the lawyer suggested by the selling agents and it came to £1300 . It was ten years ago I sold and bought a property and the bill was £500. Have costs really increased to that extent?

What does the conveyancing estimate include? Is it just for the legal fees, or what you will be paying in total (for example Hadley Wood searches, land registry fees, etc)