It is 10 years ago since I acquired my home in Rainham Kent. Conveyancing lawyers have recently been appointed on the sale but I can't locate my title deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?

Don’t worry too much. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be kept by the lender or they may stored with the lawyers who handled your purchase. Secondly in all probability the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers procuring up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Rainham Kent involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.

I am the only beneficiary of my late father’s will with all property in now in my sole name, including the my former home in Rainham Kent. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in . I want to move. I do know about the CML six month 'rule', meaning my proprietorship could be considered the same way as though I had purchased the house in . Do I have to wait half a year to sell?

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." Technically you might be caught by that. Some lenders would take a pragmatic view as this clause is primarily there to identify subsales or the flipping of property.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Rainham Kent. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

Given that your lender is your lawyer must follow the formal instructions set out in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for . The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook includes minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and are required to report to where a lease fails to comply with these specifications. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not isolated to Rainham Kent.

After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Rainham Kent. My mortgage broker suggested a . I paid an advanced payment of £225. A few days later, the called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the 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 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.

The deeds to my home are lost. The conveyancers who handled the conveyancing in Rainham Kent 4 years ago no longer exist. Will I be able to sell the house?

As long as the title is registered the details of your proprietorship will be held by HMLR under a Title Number. It is possible to execute a search at the Land Registry, locate your house and secure current copies of the Registered Entries for less than a fiver. Where the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will usually retain a certified duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be obtained for a small fee.

Am I right to be concerned about brokers that I am dealing with are recommending an online conveyancing firm rather than a local Rainham Kent conveyancing practice?

As with lots of professional services, often input from relatives can be worth their weight in gold. But there are lots of people with a keen interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and mortgage companies may suggest conveyancers to retain. Sometimes the lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but sometimes there exists a commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You are at liberty to choose your preferred conveyancer. You need to be aware that many lenders specify a panel list of solicitors you must use for the lender aspect of your transaction.

I am attracted to a two apartments in Rainham Kent which have in the region of forty five years left on the lease term. should I be concerned?

There are no two ways about it. A leasehold apartment in Rainham Kent is a deteriorating asset as a result of the reducing lease term. The closer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it reduces the salability of the property. The majority of purchasers and mortgage companies, leases with less than eighty years become less and less marketable. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of premises with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Rainham Kent conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease. They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

Rainham Kent Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

On the whole the cost for major works are not included within service charges, although there some managing agents in Rainham Kent ask leaseholders to contribute towards a sinking fund and this is used to offset against larger works. You should be aware that where the lease has fewer than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the salability of the apartment. Check with your mortgage company that they are willing to to proceed given the lease term. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely need a lease extension at some point and you need to have some idea of how much this would cost. For most Rainham Kentlease extensions you will be required to have owned the property for a couple of years in order to be eligible to extend the lease. Are there any major works anticipated that could increase the maintenance charges?