At long last a mortgage offer from HSBC for the refinancing of my 3 room flat is to be issued within the next few days. Could you suggest a cheap conveyancing practitioner in Bromley?

You are on the wrong site if you are seeking cut-price fees for conveyancing solicitors in Bromley. Our aim is to provide excellent value conveyancing but our intention is not to work with the cheapest lawyers. Do not be fooled by companies enticing you with ninety nine pound conveyancing in Bromley. Optimistically, in going for cheap conveyancing, you will get your money’s worth and at worst you will end up invoiced for additional fees and still not end up with the service you were looking for.

Why do I have to pay up front for my conveyancing in Bromley?

If you are buying a property in Bromley your lawyer will ask you place them with funds to cover the search fees. This will be the total of the cost of the Local Authority Search. If any down payment is as part of the purchase price then this should be needed shortly ahead of contracts are exchanged. The closing balance that is due should be transferred a few days ahead of the completion date.

My wife and I are selling our property in Bromley and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being constructed on contaminated land. Any local conveyancer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers are using a national conveyancing practice as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Bromley. Having lived in Bromley for three years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to obtain clarification that the buyers are looking for.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. What do they say? You need to enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)

I am purchasing my first flat in Bromley benefiting from help to buy. The sellers would not budge the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not reveal to my lawyer about the deal as it will impact my loan with Lloyds TSB Bank. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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 have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £245,000 and identified one near me in Bromley I like with amenity areas and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 52 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Bromley for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?

If you require a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be an issue. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you can ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this.