My flat in Muswell Hill is up for sale and I have accepted an offer. Does the property lawyer need to be required to be on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel in order to deal with repayment of my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their panel criteria fairly frequently in recent years.

If you had a top tip for selecting a conveyancing solicitor in Muswell Hill what would it be?

We would encourage you not to go for the cheapest Muswell Hill conveyancing quote. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in ahead of the deal.

I'm the sole beneficiary of my late mum's will and I have everything in my name now, including the house in Muswell Hill. The Muswell Hill property was put into my name in June. I want to move. I do know about the CML 6 month 'rule', meaning my proprietorship will be regarded the same way as if I'd bought the property in June. Will no one buy the property for half a year?

The CML handbook instructs conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you may be impacted by that. many mortgage companies would take a practical view as this obligation is principally there to identify subsales or the flipping of properties.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Muswell Hill. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Santander have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Santander your lawyer must comply with the formal requirements set out in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Santander. The CML Handbook sets out minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Santander where a lease fails to meet these requirements. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not isolated to Muswell Hill.

We are selling our home in Muswell Hill and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. A local lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers instructed an online conveyancing outfit as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Muswell Hill. Having lived in Muswell Hill for three years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to get in touch with our local Authority to get clarification that the buyers are looking for.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. What do they say? You must 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)

I am a fortnight into a freehold purchase having been referred to solicitors by the local agent to do our conveyancing in Muswell Hill. I am am starting to be disappointed with the level of service. Can you help me find new lawyers?

They would need to be really poor to suggest replacing them. Has your mortgage offer been sent? If so you need to inform them of the new contact details and ensure the offer are re-sent. Your new conveyancer needs to be on the mortgage company panel to avoid escalating fees and delays. So that should be your starting point. The search tool can assist you in finding a lender approved solicitor for your conveyancing in Muswell Hill

Back In 2005, I bought a leasehold house in Muswell Hill. Conveyancing and Alliance & Leicester mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing solicitor in Muswell Hill who acted for me is not around. What should I do?

The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Muswell Hill conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord for a lease extension without any joy. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on such matters? Can you recommend a Muswell Hill conveyancing firm to help?

if there is a absentee freeholder or where there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant legislation it is possible to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to determine the price payable.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Muswell Hill residence is Flat B 10 Grove Avenue in October 2013. Following a vesting order Clerkenwell and Shoreditch County Court 3rd July 2013 The tribunal determines that the premium payable for the lease extension was £36,215.00 This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 65.21 years.