It is a dozen years since I bought my home in Shoreditch. Conveyancing lawyers have just been appointed on the sale but I am unable to locate the deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be retained by your lender or they could be in the possession of the solicitor who oversaw your purchase. Secondly in most cases the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Shoreditch involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is unregistered it is more tricky but is resolvable.
My wife and I have recently appointed a conveyancing solicitor in Shoreditch. I need to find out whether they are on the Alliance & Leicester conveyancing panel. Could you advise?
You should e-mail your solicitor and enquire if they can act for the bank. Otherwise you should get in touch with Alliance & Leicester who may be able to assist.
A friend recommended that where I am buying in Shoreditch I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
This is a search is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Shoreditch conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Shoreditch around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Shoreditch.
I have a semi-detached Edwardian house in Shoreditch. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Coventry Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Shoreditch and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the work.
How can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my business premises in Shoreditch and how can your lawyers assist?
The particular law that you refer to affords security of tenure to commercial lessees, giving them the a statutory right to apply to court for a new lease and continue in occupation at the end of an expired lease. There are limited grounds where a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are complicated. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing practices who use the act to your advantage and assist with commercial conveyancing in Shoreditch