I am purchasing a property for cash in Edmonton. I have been residing for the previous Seventeen years in Edmonton. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. As I know the area and road intimately must I have all the conveyancing searches?

If you not getting a home loan, then the vast majority of the Edmonton conveyancing searches are optional. Your solicitor will try and steer you, perhaps strongly, that you should have searches completed, but she is duty bound to take that path of guidance. Do consider; if you are intend to dispose of the house one day, it could be of importance to your prospective buyer what the searches reveal. Sometimes houses with day to day issues can still reveal unpredicted search results. A competent conveyancing solicitor in Edmonton will be able to give you some constructive guidance concerning this.

Will lawyers ask for money on account for conveyancing in Edmonton?

Where you are retaining lawyers for conveyancing in Edmonton your solicitor will ask you to provide them with funds to cover the search fees. This will be the total of the cost of the Local Authority Search. If any deposit is as part of the purchase price then this should be asked for shortly ahead of exchange of contracts. The closing balance that is needed should be transferred a couple of days ahead of the day of completion.

I purchased a terraced Georgian house in Edmonton. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Coventry Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

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 Edmonton and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the situation with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the purchase.

I am purchasing my first flat in Edmonton with a loan from National Westminster Bank. The sellers refused to move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not to tell my solicitor about the side-deal as it could impact my mortgage with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I am intending to sublet my leasehold flat in Edmonton. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Is permission from the freeholder required?

Some leases for properties in Edmonton do contain a provision to say that subletting is only allowed with permission. The landlord cannot unreasonably refuse but, in such cases, they would need to review references. Experience suggests that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting permission.

We have reached the end of our tether in trying to purchase the freehold in Edmonton. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

You certainly can. We can put you in touch with a Edmonton conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Vesting Order and Purchase of freehold matter before the tribunal for a Edmonton flat is Ground Floor Flat 4A Baronet Road in February 2010. Following a vesting order by Edmonton County Court on 23rd December 2008 (case number 8ED064) the Tribunal decided that the price that the Applicant for the freehold interest should pay is £8,689.00 This case affected 2 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 80.01 years.