The Belsize Park conveyancing solicitors that I appointed last week on my house acquisition in Belsize Park have suddenly shut down. They were on acting for me because I needed a solicitor on the conveyancing panel and my previous Belsize Park lawyer was not. I issued them a cheque for £250 in advance. What should be my next steps?

If you have an estate agent involved then let them know straight away so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers may be able to help.

Should my lawyer be raising questions regarding flooding as part of the conveyancing in Belsize Park.

Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers specialising in conveyancing in Belsize Park. There are those who buy a house in Belsize Park, fully aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical destruction, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, satisfactory insurance cover, or dispose of the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Solicitors are not qualified to offer advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous searches that can be initiated by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which should give them a better understanding of the risks in Belsize Park. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms given to a buyer’s solicitor (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) incorporates a standard inquiry of the vendor to discover whether the property has suffered from flooding. In the event that the premises has been flooded in past which is not revealed by the seller, then a purchaser may commence a claim for damages as a result of such an incorrect response. A buyer’s solicitors will also carry out an enviro report. This will indicate if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional investigations should be carried out.

My wife and I purchased a semi-detached Victorian house in Belsize Park. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and . I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the matching property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Belsize Park and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the position with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the conveyancing.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a simple, chain free conveyancing. Belsize Park is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Belsize Park are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Belsize Park you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Belsize Park may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

I today plan to offer on a house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a great figure which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently been informed that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are issues buying a leasehold house in Belsize Park. Conveyancing advisers have are about to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Belsize Park are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Belsize Park in which case you should be looking for a Belsize Park conveyancing solicitor and check that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions for example obtaining the landlord’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your lawyer will appraise you on the various issues.