IfI were to buy a straightforward housein West Hill mortgage fee and have no survey and no local authority searches how much could I expect to to save on my conveyancing in West Hill?

Any savings you would achieve would be isolated to the West Hill conveyancing searches. The conveyancer is required to do the vast majority of work - money laundering, communicating with the sellers conveyancer, stamp duty submission, register the ownership etc. You might save a bit for them not needing to register a charge however it will not be meaningful.

Can I be sure that the West Hill conveyancing solicitor on the Bank of Ireland panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in West Hill getting recommendations is a good start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always advocate that you speak with the solicitor carrying out your conveyancing.

We were going to get a OIP from Kent Reliance this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Kent Reliance recommend any West Hill solicitors on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?

You will need to appoint West Hill solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Kent Reliance through the process.

I have a mortgage with Co-operative for my property in West Hill. Conveyancing was finalised months ago. Should I wish to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Co-operative?

Your original mortgage agreement with Co-operative will provide that you need their approval before renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Co-operative’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Co-operative will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Co-operative directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Co-operative conveyancing panel firm.

Various internet forums that I have come across warn that are a common cause of hinderance in West Hill conveyancing transactions. Is this right?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the common causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Local searches are not likely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in West Hill.

My wife and I purchased a 4 bedroom Edwardian property in West Hill. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Barclays . I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same address. Is it worth asking Barclays to clarify?

You need to 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 proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in West Hill and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also question the position with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.

I’m about to sell my basement apartment in West Hill.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon however I have just had a half-yearly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?

It best that you discharge the invoice as usual as all rents and service charges should be apportionedas part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process