It is a dozen years since I purchased my property in Oadby. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been retained on the sale but I am unable to track down the title documents. Is this a problem?

Don’t worry too much. Firstly the deeds may be retained by the mortgage company or they may stored with the conveyancers who acted in the purchase. Secondly in most cases the title will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors procuring up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Oadby relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.

This question may be naive but I am wet behind the ears as FTB of a ground floor flat in Oadby. Do I collect the keys to the premises on completion from my solicitor? If so, I will find a local conveyancing solicitor in Oadby?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will electronically transfer the completion advance to the seller's solicitors, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you should be invited to receive the keys from the Estate Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen early afternoon.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Oadby. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Yorkshire BS be concerned?

As you are obtaining a mortgage with Yorkshire BS your lawyer must check the formal instructions contained in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Yorkshire BS. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook includes minimum provisions for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancers are required to report to Yorkshire BS where a lease fails to satisfy these requirements. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not limited to Oadby.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Oadby solicitor having checked that they are on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Lloyds will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Lloyds will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Oadby surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

Should my lawyer be raising questions concerning flooding during the conveyancing in Oadby.

Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors dealing with homes in Oadby. There are those who purchase a property in Oadby, completely expectant that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or dispose of the premises. Steps can be carried out during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the buyer.

Conveyancers are not qualified to give advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous checks that can be undertaken by the buyer or by their solicitors which should figure out the risks in Oadby. The conventional set of information supplied to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a standard question of the seller to determine whether the property has suffered from flooding. In the event that flooding has previously occurred and is not disclosed by the vendor, then a buyer may commence a compensation claim as a result of such an incorrect response. A purchaser’s conveyancers will also commission an enviro search. This should indicate whether there is any known flood risk. If so, more detailed investigations will need to be initiated.

The deeds to our property can not be found. The solicitors who dealt with the conveyancing in Oadby 5 years ago have long since closed. Will I be able to sell the house?

You no longer need to hold title official documentation to establish that you are the owner of your registered land or premises, as the Land Registry hold details of all registered land or property electronically.

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my 2 bed apartment in Oadby. Conveyancing has not commenced, but I have recently received a quarterly maintenance charge demand – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge the service charge as normal as all rents and service charges will be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment 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.

I invested in buying a 2 bed flat in Oadby, conveyancing was carried out in 2005. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Similar flats in Oadby with a long lease are worth £197,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 per annum. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2080

With only 55 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £31,400 and £36,200 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.