We are acquiring a new build apartment in St James and my lawyer is telling me that she is duty bound to the bank to disclose incentives from the seller. I am on a tight deadline to exchange and I don't want to delay deal. Is my lawyer right?

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

There are a variety of conveyancing solicitors in St James but how do I know who I should use?

It would be unwise to be tempted by the lowest St James conveyancing fees. You really do get what you pay 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 helping my mother sell her property in St James. Will the solicitor order the energy assessment or it is for the seller to see to?

After the abolition of Home Information Packs, energy assessments was maintained a compulsory part of moving house. An energy assessment should be commissioned in advance of the property being advertised. This is not a task that lawyers normally organise. If you are instructing a St James conveyancing solicitor they might be willing to arrange energy assessments given their contacts with reputable local accredited person

I can not work out if my lender requires a lease extension. I have called my St James bank branch on numerous occasions and was informed it wasn't a problem and they will lend. My St James conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- called and was told they will not lend based on their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?

The has to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook Part 2 specifications for your lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

I used Wolstenholmes a few years past for my conveyancing in St James. Now, I need the documents however the law firm has closed. What do I do?

You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in St James of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I want to sublet my leasehold flat in St James. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Do I need to ask my freeholder for their consent?

Even though your last St James conveyancing lawyer is no longer available you can check your lease to see if you are permitted to let out the premises. The accepted inference is that if the lease is silent, subletting is allowed. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you need to obtain consent via your landlord or other appropriate person before subletting. This means that you cannot sublet in the absence of first obtaining consent. Such consent must not not be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If the lease prohibits you from letting out the property you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

I own a split level flat in St James, conveyancing formalities finalised 3 years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Similar flats in St James with a long lease are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 yearly. The lease terminates on 21st October 50

You have 50 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £36,100 and £41,800 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.

Can I discover who owns a house in St James?

Provided the property is recorded at HM Land Registry, and you have enough information of the address of the property, you should be able to view results from the HM Land Registry of the registered owner for a a minimal charge.