We are looking to buy a property and need a conveyancing solicitor in The Ridgeway who is on the Leeds Building Society solicitor panel. Can you recommend a local solicitor?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Leeds Building Society . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in The Ridgeway.

I have recentlybeen informed that Wolstenholmes have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in The Ridgeway for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 12 months ago. How can I check that my home is registered correctly in the name of the former proprietor?

The easiest way to see if the premises is in your name, you can carry out 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 The Ridgeway conveyancing specialists.

Just had an offer accepted on a new build flat in The Ridgeway. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Set out below are examples of a few leasehold new build questions that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in The Ridgeway

Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided.

I've recently bought a leasehold flat in The Ridgeway. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I own a a ground floor purpose built flat in The Ridgeway. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the premium due for a lease extension?

in cases where there is a absentee landlord or where there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant statutes it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to make a decision on the price.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a The Ridgeway premises is Various @ Colombus Square in January 2012. the Tribunal calculated the premiums to be paid for new leases for each of the flats in Mariners Walk to be £3822 and the premium to be paid for the new lease of 2 Knights Court to be £4439. This case related to 13 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 76 years.

We have instructed a The Ridgeway conveyancing solicitor for our home move (FTB’s) and have spotted in the engagement letter that they are not overseen by the FCA. Should I be concerned or is that the norm with solicitor?

We can't see why they should be. Most solicitor don't lend money. You should check that they are governed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, who have specific conditions in relation to amounts sitting on client account.