It has taken forever and a day but a loan agreement from NatWest for the refinancing of my 4 room maisonette is coming within the next few days. Can you recommend a low cost conveyancing solicitor in Kimberley?

This site is not designed to assist those in their quest for a cheap conveyancing solicitors in Kimberley. We can offer you cost effective conveyancing but our intention is not to advertise as being the cheapest. Resist the temptation to appoint companies offering £99 conveyancing in Kimberley. In your best case scenario, in going for low cost conveyancing, you will get your money’s worth and at worst it will result in you with a hefty uplift in extras and still not receive the service required.

My wife and I purchasing a victorian detached house in Kimberley. We would like to convert the garage to a playroom at the house.Will the conveyancing process involve checks to determine if these works are allowed?

Your solicitor will check the registered title as conveyancing in Kimberley will on occasion reveal restrictions in the title documents which prevent categories of changes or need the consent of another owner. Certain works need local authority planning consent and approval in accordance building regulations. Certain locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. It would be sensible to check these things with a surveyor before you commit yourself to a purchase.

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Nationwide, do Kimberley property lawyers face a yearly amount to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are not aware of any mortgage company fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

After much negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Kimberley. My mortgage broker suggested a solicitor. I paid an advanced payment of £150. Soon after, the property lawyer called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the RBS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the RBS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Me and my brother purchased a terraced Victorian property in Kimberley. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and The Royal Bank of Scotland. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the matching property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You need to assess 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 Kimberley and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also question the position with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the work.

I am employed by a busy estate agency in Kimberley where we have witnessed a number of flat sales put at risk as a result of short leases. I have received conflicting advice from local Kimberley conveyancing solicitors. Could you clarify whether the seller of a flat can initiate the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

As long as the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.

An alternative approach is 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 bought a 2 bed flat in Kimberley, conveyancing having been completed May 1995. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Kimberley with over 90 years remaining are worth £201,000. The ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2091

With just 65 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £13,300 and £15,400 plus costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

My parents are unable to locate their Kimberley property on the HM Land Registry site. They have a vague memory back in the 70’s when they acquired the house there were complications concerning the post code not being recognised in some systems.

Nearly all premises in Kimberley should show up. Have you endevoured to search with simply the postcode. Ordinarily it should reveal all the premises inside that postcode. Assuming the property is registered it will show up with a title number. If they bought 48 years ago it's conceivable it may be not yet registered. The property could still be revealed but with the title number shown 'na'. In this scenario you will need to track down the original title papers which could be with your parent’s bank.