We are due to complete buying a house in Belgravia but as a result of wreckage from a small fire at the property I have was able negotiate recompense from the owner in the sum of £2k by way of a deduction in the price. I had intended this to be dealt with as part of a side agreement however Bank of Ireland are not allowing this. Should they have been notified?

Any lawyer being on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel is duty bound to disclose to Bank of Ireland of any changes to the purchase price. If you prohibit your property lawyer to notify the reduction to Bank of Ireland then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Bank of Ireland and you would have to appoint a new lawyer for your conveyancing in Belgravia.

Finally the sale completed on my house in Belgravia last December yet the purchaser is SMS messaging every few hours to say her lawyer needs to hear from mine. What should my lawyer have done following completion?

After completion of your house sale your lawyer is obliged to send the transfer deeds and all additional paperwork to the buyer’s solicitors. Depending on the transaction, your lawyer should also confirm that the home loan has been repaid to the buyers lawyers. There are no post completion procedures just for conveyancing in Belgravia.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in Belgravia I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, however it only has 51 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Belgravia for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term may be an issue. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you could ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.

Due to complete next month on a garden flat in Belgravia. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they will have a report out to me next week. What should I be looking out for?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Belgravia should include some of the following:

Rent payments - how much and what the invoice dates are, and be on notice if this is subject to change if lease has a provision for a slush fund? Repair and maintenance of the premises Whether the lease restricts you from subletting the property, or having a home office for business How long the lease is. You should be advised as what happens when the lease ends, and aware of the importance of not letting the lease term falling below eighty years

I have given up trying to reach an agreement for a lease extension in Belgravia. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?

if there is a missing landlord or where there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, 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 arrive at the sum to be paid.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Belgravia residence is Flat 3 47 Cadogan Square in December 2010. the Tribunal determined that the premium payable to the landord by the leaseholder for the lease extension was £732,935 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 13.33 years.

My brother is buying a ground floor flat in Belgravia. He was given a quote by the property lawyer recommended by the selling agents and it came to £1250 . It was fifteen years ago since I sold and purchased a house and it cost was £440. Have fees really escalated to that extent?

What does the conveyancing estimate include? Is it just for the legal fees, or what you will be paying in total (for example Belgravia searches, land registry fees, etc)