The deeds to my property can not be found. The solicitors who conducted the conveyancing in West Drayton 4 years ago are no longer around. Will I be able to sell the house?

In today’s world there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your conveyancer will know exactly where to find all the suitable documentation so you can buy or sell your house without a hitch. If duplicates can’t be located, your lawyer can arrange cover in the form of insurance or indemnities against future claims on the premises.

I am purchasing my first flat in West Drayton with the aid of help to buy. The developers refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The property agent told me not inform my lawyer about the deal as it may adversely affect my mortgage with the bank. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £305k and found one near me in West Drayton I like with amenity areas and station nearby, the downside is that it's only got 61 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in West Drayton for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?

If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you may request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.

Last July I purchased a leasehold house in West Drayton. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I own a a ground floor purpose built flat in West Drayton. Given that I can not reach agreement with the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the premium payable for the purchase of the freehold?

in cases where there is a absentee freeholder or if there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the LVT to judgment on the amount due.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a West Drayton premises is 164 Nestles Avenue in October 2013. The tribunal agreed with the proposed price of £20,158 for the freehold and determined that that sum is the amount to be paid into court This case related to 2 flats. The unexpired lease term was 69 years.

I need to swap lawyers as my West Drayton lawyer is not on the mortgage company's approved list of conveyancing solicitors. How simple is it to change conveyancer?

In the event that you have not formally appointed a conveyancer to start work and at this stage simply received an estimate as to costs, you're perfectly free to choose a different solicitor to carry out your work for you. The best way is to get recommendations from friends or family who have actually used the solicitor or conveyancer in West Drayton that you're thinking of instructing.