My fiance and I are looking to purchase a home in Muswell Hill and are in fact using a Muswell Hill conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our property lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with a view to exchanging next week. Nationwide Building Society have this evening contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Muswell Hill lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. Please explain?

If you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is usual for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your lender and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Muswell Hill lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.

I am selling my house in Muswell Hill. Will my lawyer have to be on the Barclays conveyancing panel in order to deal with redeeming my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Barclays 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 specifications fairly frequently at the moment.

What does commercial conveyancing in Muswell Hill cover?

Muswell Hill conveyancing for business premises incorporates a broad array of advice, given by regulated solicitors, relating to business premises. For example, this area of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more commonly, the transfer of existing business tenancies or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial mortgages and the termination of tenancies.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Fifty years left on my lease in Muswell Hill. I am keen to get lease extension but my freeholder is missing. What should I do?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the magistrate. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have used your best endeavours to locate the landlord. On the whole a specialist would be useful to carry out a search and prepare a report to be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court overseeing Muswell Hill.

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

You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Muswell Hill conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension decision 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 affected 1 flat. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 65.21 years.

There are a lot of properties in Muswell Hill on unadopted lanes. We are purchasing one such house. What are the pros and cons of purchasing a house on a private road?

Muswell Hill conveyancing practices are used to conveyancing propertieson unadopted roads. Your property lawyer should investigate title to find any rights or responsibilities. It is possible that there is a residents association that residents pay into for the upkeep of the road. If one exists, the road should be maintained and appear better than publicly adopted.