In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Dulwich? Why is this being asked of me?

In order to comply with Money Laundering Regulations any Dulwich conveyancing firm will require evidence of your identity in all conveyancing transactions. This is usually dealt with by provision of a passport and an original bank statement or utility bill showing where you reside.

Under Money Laundering Regulations, property lawyers are duty bound to investigate not simply the identity of conveyancing clients but also the origin of the money that they receive in respect of any matter. An unwillingness to disclose this may result in your lawyer ending their relationship with you, as clearly this will cause a conflict between the set Regulations and a refusal to disclose.

Your conveyancers will have an obligation to make a disclosure to the appropriate authorities should they consider that any amounts received by them may contravene the Money Laundering Regulations.

I have an AIP. The lender mentioned the mortgage came with free conveyancing. Is the implication that I have to instruct their panel conveyancer as I would much rather appoint a Dulwich based conveyancing firm?

You should check but the the probability is that allocate you one of their panel conveyancers where you accept the "fee-free" offer. Contact the mortgage company to see if they make available a cash alternative. In the past a few mortgage companies offered a £250 cashback as a further option in which case you could put that amount towards the cost for your conveyancing solicitor in Dulwich.

I am aiming to move home in February. Does my conveyancing solicitor communicate with the removal company on the day of completion. As an aside, can you recommend a removal company in Dulwich. Conveyancing solicitor was organised prior to coming across your page.

On the afternoon of completion you can collect the keys from your estate agent but this can only happen when the previous owners solicitors inform the agent that they acknowledge receipt of the completion payment and the keys can be collected. Subsequently you should advise the removal company that they can start moving you in. We do not suggest a specific removal company but can assist you in finding a residential property solicitor in Dulwich or a solicitor that specialises in conveyancing in Dulwich.

We were going to get a OIP from Santander 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 Santander recommend any Dulwich solicitors on the Santander conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

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

After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Dulwich. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £200. A few days later, the property lawyer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the HSBC conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the HSBC panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

My relative recommended that if I am buying in Dulwich I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is usually quoted for as part of the standard Dulwich conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out important information about Dulwich around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Dulwich Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Dulwich Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Dulwich.

I was pointed in your direction by a number of estate agents in Dulwich to choose a conveyancer on your site. What’s the financial inducement for Estate Agents to offer your lawyers over and above a competitor’s?

We don’t give any commission for directing people to this site. We thought it would be too underhand a fee as a client could think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.