The Kingsdown conveyancing firm handling our Kingsdown conveyancing has identified a discrepancy between the information in the home valuation survey and what is in the conveyancing documents. My lawyer says that he must check that the lender is OK with this discrepancy and is content to go ahead. Is my solicitor’s course or action correct?

Your conveyancing practitioner must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.

I just bought a house at auction in Kingsdown. Conveyancing is necessary. What happens now?

Having legally bound yourself to purchase you now have to retain a conveyancing solicitor quickly as you will have a fast approaching deadline in which to complete the deal. An auction property will ordinarily have an associated auction pack. This will likely include evidence of title and search results. Where you are dealing with leasehold premises the conveyancing papers may include a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing paperwork relating to leasehold premises. You need to give this to the conveyancer instructed by you as soon as possible. You also need to ensure that your finances are in place to complete on the date specified in the contract.

We previously appointed conveyancing lawyers with offices in Kingsdown on the Skipton solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a separate amount for dealing with the Skipton mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Skipton?

Provided it is contained in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your property lawyer can charge a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Skipton but by your Kingsdown conveyancing practitioner. Some firms on the Skipton panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some firms incorporate it on their overall fee.

My partner and I have organised a further advance on our home loan from Barclays as we wish to carry out improvements to our house in Kingsdown. Do we need to choose a nearby Kingsdown solicitor on the Barclays conveyancing panel to handle the paperwork?

Barclays don't usually require firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Barclays panel.

I decided to have a survey done on a property in Kingsdown in advance of retaining conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. My surveyor has said that some banks may refuse to issue a loan on a flying freehold premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different instructions for example to Nationwide. If you call us we can check via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Kingsdown. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Kingsdown especially if they are familiar with such properties in Kingsdown.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Sixty One years unexpired on my lease in Kingsdown. I need to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. What options are available to me?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to track down the landlord. In some cases a specialist would be useful to try and locate and prepare an expert document which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Kingsdown.

Kingsdown Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries Prior to buying

Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge payments? Is there a share of the freehold? Where a Kingsdown lease has less than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the value of the property. Check with your bank that they are content with the length of the lease. A short lease means that you will probably have to extend the lease at some point and you need to have some idea of what this will be. Remember, in most cases you will need to own the property for a couple of years before you are eligible to carry out a lease extension.

Builders have suggested I use a lawyer and I've received an estimate from them. It's almost two hundred pounds less expensive than my own Kingsdown conveyancer. What's the catch?

Developers often have panels of lawyers who expedite matters and who know the seller’s documentation and property lawyer. As many developers offer an incentive to select a preferred conveyancer for this reason, any increased charges can be avoided and a builder will not recommend a conveyancing warehouse and run the risk of having the conveyancing delayed when they need an exchange within a tight time frame. A counter-argument for not agreeing to use the suggested lawyer is that they may prove unwilling to 'push' your interests for fear of alienating the housebuilder. Where you have concerns that this may be the situation you should keep with your high street Kingsdown conveyancer.