My friend's step-father is a conveyancer. I am hopeful that I will receive friends and family pricing for conveyancing, but if not, what kind of figure would I typically be looking at for conveyancing in Kensington?
Do compare pricing. Make use of our search tool on this page. The estimates seem to be different but service levels do are distinct between property lawyers as is the case with most professions.
I am the registered owner of a freehold premises in Kensington but still pay rent, why is this and what is this?
It’s unusual for properties in Kensington and has limited impact for conveyancing in Kensington but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.
Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges have existed for many centuries, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the creation of fresh rentcharges post 1977.
Previous rentcharges can now be redeemed by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence post 2037 will be extinguished.
Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Kensington ahead of appointing conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. Our surveyor has said that some lenders may refuse to give a loan on such a premises.
It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different requirements for example to Halifax. If you call us we can look into this further via the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Kensington. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Kensington to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.
Taking into account that I will soon part with £400,000 on a terraced house in Kensington I wish to have a conversation with the lawyer about myhouse move before appointing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?
This is something that we recommend - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you speaking to the conveyancer due to be doing your property ownership legalities in Kensington.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is an important individual, not a matter number. The practices that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are quoted for your conveyancing in Kensington should be the figure that you are charged.
I've recently bought a leasehold property in Kensington. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?
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. Strange as it may seem, 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 two-bedroom flat in Kensington. Given that I can not reach agreement with the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the premium payable for the purchase of the freehold?
in cases where there is a absentee landlord or where there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to decide the sum to be paid.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Kensington premises is 93 Oakwood Court in June 2010. the LVT determined that the premium to be paid for the new lease was £492,083, This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 37.79 years.
A licensed conveyancer dealt with my conveyancing in Kensington 8 years ago and was holding my title documents but has since been shut down – how do I get hold of them?
Title deeds, as such, no longer exist as most properties in Kensington are archived electronically at Land Registry. Where you need to prove evidence of proprietorship or are disposing of or refinancing your conveyancer will need to obtain up to date copies of the register from the Land Registry in any case.
If you feel there may be other documents or you have any other queries please e-mail your request with details of the transaction and documents you need to filerequest@clc-uk.org. The CLC will let you know what information they have and any additional information they may need before they are in a position to identify and send the documents to you. Following an intervention it may take some time for the CLC to access archived files and documents, but your request will be actioned with reasonable haste.
