What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Park Royal? Is this really warranted?

Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering regulations require solicitors and licensed conveyancers to check the identity of the potential client they are dealing with prior to agreeing to accepting their conveyancing business. The Terms and Conditions that you are required to sign will no doubt stipulate this. Your lawyer also has obligations to obtain certain documents in accordance with the CML Lenders Handbook requirements last updated on 1st December 2014. If you refuse to provide ID verification documents, your lawyer would not be able to accept instructions from you.

Me and my partner are buying a flat in Park Royal. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a lawyer? On the day of competition we will need to deposit money into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our monies?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

I am the sole recipient of my late father’s estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Park Royal. The Park Royal property was put into my name in October. I plan to dispose of the property. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders six month 'rule', meaning my property ownership will be regarded the same way as if I'd bought the property in October. Is the property unsalable for six months?

The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook requires conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you may be caught by that. How sensible a view lenders take of it, depend on the bank as this requirement chiefly exists to capture the purchase and immediately sell or the flipping of property.

I have paid off my mortgage with Santander. I assume I don't need a Park Royal conveyancer on the Santander panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Santander mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Santander mortgage from the register. Santander, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Santander has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Santander has instructed the Land Registry to do so

What can a local search tell me concerning the property I am purchasing in Park Royal?

Park Royal conveyancing often commences with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search company such as Searches UK The local search plays an important part in many a Park Royal conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any unpleasant once you have moved into your new home. The search will supply data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 topic headings.

five months have gone by since my purchase conveyancing in Park Royal concluded. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £150,000 when infact I paid £215,000. 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 residence 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.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 62 years unexpired on my lease in Park Royal. I now wish to get lease extension but my landlord is can not be found. What are my options?

On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be lengthened by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to locate the landlord. For most situations an enquiry agent should be useful to try and locate and to produce a report which can be used as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer both on investigating the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court overseeing Park Royal.

I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord for a lease extension without any joy. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on such matters? Can you recommend a Park Royal conveyancing firm to act on my behalf?

if there is a absentee freeholder or where there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to determine the sum to be paid.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Park Royal residence is 99 Connell Crescent in May 2013. the Tribunal held that the relevant sum for the purposes of the lease extension should be £72,566 to be paid by the leaseholder This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired term was 28.42 years.