I know that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Do I need chancel insurance when acquiring a residence in Hawkshead? or I am told that there is historic law that could mean that homeowners living in a parish church boundary may be liable to contribute towards maintenance to the chancel within the church. Is this applicable for conveyancing in Hawkshead?

Unless a prior purchase of the premises took place after 12 October 2013 you could assume that conveyancing practitioners carrying out conveyancing in Hawkshead to continue to propose a a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.

It has been three months following my purchase conveyancing in Hawkshead took place. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £195,000 and found one near me in Hawkshead I like with amenity areas and station nearby, however it's only got 61 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Hawkshead suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?

Should you require a home loan the shortness of the lease will be an issue. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.

As co-executor for the will of my aunt I am disposing of a house in Cardiff but reside in Hawkshead. My solicitor (who is 300 kilometers from merequires that I sign a statutory declaration before the transaction finalising. Can you recommend a conveyancing practitioner in Hawkshead who can witness and place their company stamp on the document?

Technically speaking you should not need to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are located in Hawkshead

I have just appointed agents to market my garden apartment in Hawkshead. Conveyancing has not commenced, but I have recently received a half-yearly maintenance charge invoice – Do I pay up?

The sensible thing to do is pay the invoice as usual given that all ground rent and service charges should be allotted 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. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

Hawkshead Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

The best form of lease structure is where the freehold reversion is owned by the leaseholders. In this scenario the lessees have being in charge if their destiny and even though a managing agent is often retained if the building is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants. Please note if it is no more than eighty years it will affect the value of the property. It is worth checking with your bank that they are content with remaining years on the lease. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will probably need a lease extension sooner rather than later and it is worth finding out what this will be. Remember, in most cases you would be be obliged to have been the owner of the residence for a couple of years in order to be eligible to exercise a lease extension. Please inform me if there are any major works anticipated that could add a premium to the maintenance charges?