My partner and I are buying a newly constructed duplex in Perivale and my solicitor is advising me that she is duty bound to the lender to reveal incentives from the developer. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to exchange and I would rather not prolong matters. Is my lawyer right?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your property lawyer. A precondition to being on a mortgage company panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

Do lawyers request money up-front for my conveyancing in Perivale?

Where you are retaining lawyers for conveyancing in Perivale your lawyer will request that you put them with funds to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. Generally this is needed to cover the fees of the conveyancing searches. When the deposit is as part of the sale price then this should be required immediately prior to contracts are exchanged. Any further balance that is needed should be sent to your lawyer a few days prior to the completion date.

There is lots of here regarding conveyancing in Perivale but can you isolate your top tip for choosing the right conveyancer in Perivale

It would be unwise to be swayed by the cheapest Perivale conveyancing fees. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

I am assisting my aunt sell her flat in Perivale. Will the conveyancer arrange the energy assessment or should I organise this?

Following the demise of Home Information Packs, energy assessments became a mandatory element of moving house. An EPC needs to be commissioned in advance of the property being marketed. This is not as aspect of the sale process that solicitors ordinarily organise. If you are using a Perivale conveyancing practitioner they may be willing to arrange energy assessments due to their contacts with long established local accredited person

Intending to buy a flat in Perivale. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Perivale conveyancer is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel.

I have todaydiscovered that Wolstenholmes have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Perivale for a purchase of a leasehold flat 18 months ago. How can I establish that my home is registered correctly in the name of the previous owner?

The easiest way to check if the premises is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Perivale conveyancing specialists.

I am employed by a long established estate agency in Perivale where we see a number of flat sales put at risk due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given contradictory information from local Perivale conveyancing firms. Can you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can commence the lease extension process for the buyer?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer need not have to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.

Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder 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.

Following months of correspondence we are unable to agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Perivale. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

if there is a missing landlord or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the LVT to decide the amount due.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Perivale premises is Ground Floor Flat 79 London Road in September 2012. the Tribunal held that the premium payable for the lease extension should be £7,636 This case related to 1 flat. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 74 years.