My wife and I own a renovated Georgian house in Hale End. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Yorkshire Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same property. Is it worth asking Yorkshire Building Society to clarify?

You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be 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 Hale End and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also enquire as to the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who carried out the work.

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build flat in Hale End. Conveyancing is a frightening process 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 conveyancing.

Set out below is a sample of a few leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Hale End

The Vendor must covenant to keep unsold units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision. Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease.

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and found one close by in Hale End I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, however it only has 52 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Hale End in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?

If you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease may be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you can ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

I have just appointed agents to market my ground floor flat in Hale End. Conveyancing has not commenced, however I have just received a half-yearly service charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

It best that you clear the maintenance contribution as usual as all rents and maintenance invoices will be apportioned on completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I purchased a garden flat in Hale End, conveyancing formalities finalised 3 years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Comparable properties in Hale End with an extended lease are worth £185,000. The ground rent is £65 yearly. The lease ceases on 21st October 2085

With 60 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £20,000 and £23,000 as well as costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

My cousin is purchasing a shared ownership flat in Hale End. He has received an estimate by the conveyancing practitioner connected to the selling agents and it came to £1250 . It was eight years ago I sold and bought a property and the bill was £just under five hundred pounds. Have costs really gone up that much?

You should e-mail 3 or 4 local Hale End conveyancing firms requesting estimates. You should base your decision not only on cost, but on promptness and on how comprehensive the response is.