My wife and I are downsizing from our home in Dore and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being constructed land that was not decontaminated. Any local lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers used a national conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Dore. Having lived in Dore for 4 years we know of no issue. Do we contact our local Authority to obtain confirmation that the buyers are looking for.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)

About to purchase a new build flat in Dore. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build conveyancing.

Here are examples of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Dore

If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Please supply a car parking plan. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease.

I decided to have a survey carried out on a property in Dore in advance of appointing lawyers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. Our surveyor has said that some lenders tend not give a loan on this type of house.

It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different requirements from Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can investigate further with the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Dore. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Dore especially if they are familiar with such properties in Dore.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a couple of apartments in Dore both have approximately 50 years left on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There is no doubt about it. A leasehold flat in Dore is a wasting asset as a result of the shortening lease. The closer the lease gets to zero years unexpired, the more it reduces the value of the property. The majority of buyers and mortgage companies, leases with under 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 Dore 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 purchased a garden flat in Dore, conveyancing was carried out 10 years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Dore with a long lease are worth £195,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2089

With only 63 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £16,200 and £18,600 as well as costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.

Our solicitor in Dore has discovered a defect with the lease for the property we are purchasing in Dore. The seller’s lawyers have suggested defective title insurance as a solution. We are happy with insurance and will pay for it. Our lawyer says that as he is on the bank conveyancing panel he must check that the lender is happy with this solution. Are we the client or is the mortgage company?

Just because you have a mortgage offer from the bank does not mean to say that the property will be meet their requirements for the purposes of a mortgage. Your Dore conveyancing lawyer has to ensure that the lease has to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Requirements. You and the mortgage company are the client. The appropriate lender requirements must be adhered to by the lender conveyancing panel who has to balance acting for you and the mortgage company