It is is a decade since I acquired my house in Nine Elms. Conveyancing lawyers have just been appointed on the sale but I can't locate my title deeds. Is this a problem?

You need not be too concerned. First there is a chance that the deeds will be retained by your mortgage company or they may be in the possession of the solicitor who acted in your purchase. Secondly in most cases the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Nine Elms involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.

Should commercial conveyancing searches disclose impending roadworks that may impact a commercial premises in Nine Elms?

Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in Nine Elms will execute a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers expend in researching accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Nine Elms. The report provides definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Nine Elms.

For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Nine Elms it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately can result in delays to Nine Elms commercial conveyancing deals as well as present a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not conducted for domestic conveyancing in Nine Elms.

Given that I am about to spend 450k on a two bedroom apartment in Nine Elms I would like to have a conversation with the solicitor regarding thehouse move before giving the go ahead to the firm. Can this be arranged?

This is something that we encourage - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you liaising with the solicitor due to be conducting your conveyancing in Nine Elms.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is unique person, not a case reference. The law firms that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are calculated and presented to you for your conveyancing in Nine Elms should be the figure that you are charged.

I am looking at a couple of maisonettes in Nine Elms both have in the region of forty five years unexpired on the lease term. should I be concerned?

There are no two ways about it. A leasehold apartment in Nine Elms is a wasting asset as a result of the shortening lease. The nearer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it adversely affects the marketability of the premises. The majority of buyers and lenders, leases with under 75 years become less and less attractive. 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 property 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 property 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 Nine Elms conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease. They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. 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 own a ground floor flat in Nine Elms. In the absence of agreement between myself and the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the amount due for a lease extension?

Most definitely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Nine Elms conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Nine Elms residence is 150A Albert Palace Mansions Lurline Gardens in July 2013. The Tribunal determined that the premium payable for the new lease of the subject property was £42,069 This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 57.06 years.

My step-son is embarking on her first house purchase, he had his mortgage in principle. When the seller agreed the offer on the apartment we telephoned the lender to go forward with his. We were disappointed to learn that banks do not accept all solicitor, they need to be on their approved list, is this right?

Banks normally imposes restrictions either the type or the number of conveyancing firms on their panel. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that banks have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any Nine Elms property lawyer on their panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, conveyancing is not their speciality. To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime? Probably not.