My grandmother passed away 10 months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Hatch End. The house had a relatively small loan left on it of around £8000. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Santander, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?

Where you intend to refinance then Santander will require that you use a conveyancer on the Santander conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Santander conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Santander mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

How does conveyancing in Hatch End differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Hatch End approach us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is ready to move into. This is because builders in Hatch End tend to buy the land, 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 property lawyers 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in Hatch End or who has acted in the same development.

How simple is it to change firm as I need to retain one who is on the Bank of Scotland conveyancing list. I hired a local conveyancing solicitor in Hatch End five minutes from me but he is not accepted by Bank of Scotland

It would be our pleasure to assist you select a conveyancing solicitor in Hatch End on the Bank of Scotland panel. Please note that the property lawyers that we work with do not pay us commission if you instruct them and are registered with the Solicitors Regulation Authority who regulate all conveyancing solicitors in Hatch End. Using search facility on this page, you can compare costs for conveyancing solicitors in Hatch End and beyond.

What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Hatch End conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Hatch End conveyancing firm) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggest that you talk with several firms including non Hatch End conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions could be helpful:

If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?

I own a ground-floor 1960’s flat in Hatch End. In the absence of agreement between myself and the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the amount payable for a lease extension?

Most definitely. We can put you in touch with a Hatch End conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Hatch End premises is Flats 8, 11 and 15 Craigmore Court 46 Murray Road in December 2013. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 8 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,438 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenants of Flat 11 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,791 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 15 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,638 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . This case affected 3 flats. The unexpired term was 71 years.

The conveyancing solicitors undertaking our conveyancing in Hatch End has forwarded papers to review that show the land is unregistered with epitome documents. How can it be that the property not yet recorded at HMLR?

Although most properties in Hatch End are now registered with HMLR there are still a few that remain unregistered. Any property in Hatch End that has been transferred since the late 1980’s will have been registered at the Land Registry under the compulsory ‘first registration’ scheme. However, if a Hatch End property has not changed hands in that time then it’s likely the old fashioned title deeds will be the only evidence of ownership.Plenty of Hatch End conveyancing lawyers will be familiar with such matters but if any uncertainty prevails the conventional advice nowadays is for the seller’s conveyancer to register it first and then sell - this will predictably cause a drawn-out conveyancing.