We are selling our apartment in West Ruislip. Will my have to be required to be on the conveyancing panel in order to deal with redeeming my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the 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 currently.

I have todaybeen informed that Action Conveyancing have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in West Ruislip for a purchase of a freehold house 10 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is registered correctly in the name of the former proprietor?

The easiest method to check if the premises is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of West Ruislip conveyancing specialists.

How does conveyancing in West Ruislip differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in West Ruislip come to us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is completed. This is because house builders in West Ruislip usually acquire 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 used to new build conveyancing in West Ruislip or who has acted in the same development.

My partner and I may need to let out our West Ruislip basement flat for a while due to a career opportunity. We instructed a West Ruislip conveyancing firm in 2001 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to seek any guidance as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?

A lease governs the relationship between the freeholder and you the leaseholder; specifically, it will set out if subletting is banned, or permitted but only subject to certain conditions. The rule is that if the lease contains no specific ban or restriction, subletting is allowed. Most leases in West Ruislip do not contain an absolute prevention of subletting – such a provision would undoubtedly devalue the flat. In most cases there is a basic requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly sending a copy of the sublease.

I inherited a split level flat in West Ruislip, conveyancing having been completed 1995. How much will my lease extension cost? Corresponding properties in West Ruislip with a long lease are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease ceases on 21st October 50

With only 50 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to be between £36,100 and £41,800 plus costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.

I have been recommended a conveyancing solicitor in West Ruislip. I I would like to check if they are on the lender's conveyancing panel. Could you assist?

One option is to phone your solicitor and ask them if they are on the bank's approved list. If that does not help call us and we can investigate and revert. Should the firm not be on the lender panel we can certainly arrange a reputable conveyancing solicitor in West Ruislip on the panel for your lender.