My husband and I are refinancing our apartment in Brampton with . We have a son 18 who lives at home. Our solicitor has asked us to disclose any adults other than ourselves who lives in the flat. Our lawyer has now e-mailed a document for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the flat is forfeited by the lender. I have a couple of concerns (1) Is this document specific to the conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we purchased 3 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this compromise his entitlement to inherit the property?

On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to . This is solely used to protect if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

My brother-in-law has suggested I instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Brampton. I I am struggling to find out whether they are accepted on the approved list of lawyers. Can you help?

You should contact your conveyancer and enquire if they are on the lender panel. Otherwise you should get in touch with who may be able to assist.

I used Arc property Solicitors a few years ago for my conveyancing in Brampton. I now require my file but the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Brampton of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

My business partner and I are wishing to lease a unit on a shopping parade. Can you recommend solicitors offering no-sale-no fees for commercial conveyancing in Brampton for under £2000?

We can recommend firms who have an in-depth of experience of commercial conveyancing in Brampton, including the sale and purchase of businesses as well as simply property. Whether you are intending to purchase or sell a shop, pub, restaurant, office, retail premises or a whole business we will find you the right firm. Regarding the costs this will depend on the structure and terms of the deal. Please provide us with your details or telephone us so that we may supply you with comprehensive commercial conveyancing calculation.

I am looking at a couple of maisonettes in Brampton both have in the region of 50 years unexpired on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

There are no two ways about it. A leasehold apartment in Brampton is a deteriorating asset as a result of the shortening lease. The closer the lease gets to zero years unexpired, the more it adversely affects the salability of the property. For most purchasers and banks, leases with less than eighty years become less and less marketable. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a residence with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Brampton conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease. You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that any new terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

I am the registered owner of a leasehold flat in Brampton, conveyancing formalities finalised 3 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Brampton with a long lease are worth £165,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease expires on 21st October 50

With 50 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £36,100 and £41,800 as well as professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.