It is a dozen years since I purchased my home in Aylesbury. Conveyancing lawyers have just been instructed on the sale but I can't track down the title documents. Will this jeopardise the sale?

Don’t worry too much. Firstly the deeds may be retained by the lender or they may be archived with the conveyancers who handled the purchase. Secondly in all probability the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers procuring current official copies of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Aylesbury involves registered property but in the rare situation where your home is not registered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.

How does conveyancing in Aylesbury differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build property in Aylesbury come to us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is finished. This is because builders in Aylesbury typically purchase the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Aylesbury or who has acted in the same development.

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Aylesbury I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, the downside is that it only has 52 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Aylesbury for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?

Should you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.

I need to retain a conveyancing solicitor for residential conveyancing in Aylesbury. I've discover a web site which looks to be the perfect answer If it is possible to get all formalities completed via email that would be ideal. Do I need to be concerned? What are the potential pitfalls?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

All being well we will complete our sale of a £475,000 flat in Aylesbury in 10 days. The landlords agents has quoted £360 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Aylesbury?

Aylesbury conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes usually requires the buyer’s lawyer submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to answer such questions the majority will be content to do so. They are entitled to invoice a reasonable charge for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the paperwork that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some cases it is in excess of £800. The management information fee invoiced by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration charges, without which the charge is technically not due. Reality however dictates that you have no choice but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to complete the sale of your home.

Aylesbury Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

Please note if it is fewer than 80 years it will have adverse implications on the marketability of the flat. It is worth checking with your lender that they are content with remaining years on the lease. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will probably have to extend the lease at some point and you need to have some idea of what this will be. For most Aylesburylease extensions you will need to own the property for two years before you are eligible to extend the lease. The best form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this situation the tenants have control and even though a managing agent is frequently employed if it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders. Does the lease have onerous restrictions?