As I am unsure how the conveyancing bit works what is the most important advice you can give me about purchase conveyancing in Upper Clapton?

Not many law firms or advisers will tell you this but conveyancing in Upper Clapton and elsewhere in England and Wales is often a confrontational process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there exists plenty of room for confrontation between you and others involved in the ownership transfer. For example, the seller, selling agent and sometimes your lender. Appointing a law firm for your conveyancing in Upper Clapton should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE party in the transaction whose role it is to act in your best interests and to keep you safe.

Every so often a potential adversary will attempt to persuade you that you should follow their advice. For example, the estate agent may claim to be assisting by suggesting your lawyer is dragging his heels. Or your financial adviser may tell you to do something that is against your conveyancers advice. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties when it comes to the legal transfer of property.

Can you clarify what the consequences are if my solicitor is removed from the Nationwide Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Upper Clapton?

First, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.

A colleague suggested that where I am purchasing in Upper Clapton I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is occasionally included in the estimate for your Upper Clapton conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Upper Clapton 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 demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Upper Clapton Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Upper Clapton.

I moved into my house on 4 February and my personal details is not yet on the land registry website. Need I be worried? My conveyancing solicitor in Upper Clapton advises it will be formalised inside ten days. Are titles in Upper Clapton particularly slow to register?

As far as conveyancing in Upper Clapton registration is no faster or slower than the rest of the country. Rather than based on location, timeframes can adjust subject to the party submitting the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry must send notices to any interested persons or bodies. Currently roughly three quarters of submission are fully addressed within 12 days but some can be subject to extensive delays. Historically registration takes place after the new owner has moved in to the property thus 'speed' is not always primary concern yet if there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your solicitor could contact the land registry and explain the circumstances.

I have had difficulty in trying to reach an agreement for a lease extension in Upper Clapton. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?

if there is a absentee landlord or if there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to assess the price payable.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Upper Clapton residence is Flat 25, Stamford Hill Mansions Stamford Hill in April 2010. The Tribunal therefore determined that the premium to be paid by the lessee to the freeholder for the extension of the lease should be £28,984.00 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired term was 59 years.

What makes a Upper Clapton lease defective?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Upper Clapton. All leases are individual and drafting errors can result in certain sections are wrong. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

Insurance obligations A provision to repair to or maintain elements of the premises

You will encounter a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. HSBC Bank, Skipton Building Society, and Aldermore all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the buyer to pull out.