I was told yesterday by my estate agent that my West Wickham solicitor is not on the mortgage company Solicitor panel. What can I do to check?

The first thing you need to do is to contact your West Wickham lawyer directly. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to advise you of the situation. If they are not on the panel they may recommend you to a West Wickham conveyancing firm that is on the approved list of lawyers for your mortgage company.

We are selling our home in West Wickham. Does my lawyer have to be on the Nottingham conveyancing panel in order to deal with paying off my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Nottingham 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 at the moment.

I need some expedited conveyancing in West Wickham as I am faced with pressure to exchange contracts inside 3 weeks. Luckily I do not require a mortgage. Can I avoid the conveyancing searches to save fees and time?

As you are are a mortgage free purchaser you have the choice not to have searches carried out although no lawyer would advise that you don't. Drawing on our experience of conveyancing in West Wickham the following are instances of what can arise and adversely impact market value: Refused Planning Applications, Outstanding Charges, Outstanding Grants, Railway Schemes,...

Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in West Wickham ahead of retaining lawyers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. The surveyor has said that some banks will not grant a mortgage on such a house.

It varies from the lender to lender. HSBC has different instructions for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to call us we can investigate further via the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in West Wickham. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in West Wickham to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.

I today plan to offer on a house that seems to meet my requirements, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have since been informed that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in West Wickham. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in West Wickham ?

The majority of houses in West Wickham are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area who can assist with the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are purchasing in West Wickham in which case you should be shopping around for a West Wickham conveyancing practitioner and be sure 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 leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the landlord’spermission to carry out alterations. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the house is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will appraise you on the various issues.

I own a ground floor flat in West Wickham. In the absence of agreement between myself and the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the sum due for the purchase of the freehold?

You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a West Wickham conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a West Wickham residence is 26 Manor Road in July 2010. the Tribunal decided that price to be paid for the freehold was £12,420 This case related to 2 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 76.75 and 88.83.