Having sold my house in Blakelaw last December but the buyer keeps calling every few hours complaining that their lawyer needs to hear from mine. What should my lawyer have done following completion?

Post completion of your sale your lawyer is committed to deliver the transfer deeds and all of the paperwork to the purchaser's solicitors. Where appropriate, your solicitor must also send confirmation that the home loan has been paid off to the buyers conveyancers. There are no post completion requirements unique to conveyancing in Blakelaw.

I have a 4 bedroom Victorian house in Blakelaw. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Virgin Money. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Blakelaw and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the position with your conveyancing lawyer who carried out the work.

How does conveyancing in Blakelaw differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Blakelaw come to us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is constructed. This is because builders in Blakelaw tend to acquire the real estate, 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 used to new build conveyancing in Blakelaw or who has acted in the same development.

I need to retain a conveyancing solicitor for some conveyancing in Blakelaw. I happened to land on a web site which looks to be the perfect offering If there is a chance to get all formalities completed via phone that would be ideal. Do I need to be concerned? What should out be looking out for?

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?

I’m about to sell my basement apartment in Blakelaw. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, however I have just received a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge the service charge as you normally would because all rents and maintenance payments should be allotted on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I bought a 1st floor flat in Blakelaw, conveyancing was carried out in 2012. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Blakelaw with over 90 years remaining are worth £197,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2080

With just 55 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to span between £31,400 and £36,200 as well as 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 the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.