I am selling my flat in Willesden. Does the have to be required to be on the conveyancing panel in order to deal with repayment of 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 conditions fairly frequently currently.

My wife and I purchased a 4 bedroom Victorian property in Willesden. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and . I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same property. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Willesden and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the purchase.

I'm purchasing a new build house in Willesden with a loan from . The sellers refused to reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The house builders rep advised me not disclose to my conveyancer about this deal as it may affect my loan with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

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

I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Willesden. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and almost all are in Willesden - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

Willesden Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

You will want to find out as much as possible about the company managing the block as they will affect your use and enjoyment of the property. As the owner of a leasehold property you will be in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to practical issues such as the tidiness of the communal areas. You should not be afraid to ask other people what they think of them. On a final note, be sure you know the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the appropriate party and precisely how they are spending that money. It is important to be aware if changing the roof or some other major work is pending that will be shared by the tenants and may well materially impact the level of the maintenance charges or necessitate a specific payment.

How and when do I incur the Stamp Duty Land Tax chargeable for my Willesden flat purchase?

Your will fill out a stamp duty return on your behalf as part of your Willesden purchase transaction for you to sign. On completion your will submit the Land Transaction Return Form to the Tax Authorities and - assuming they have the money - settle any Stamp Duty payable for you.