Completed the sale of my flat in Isle of Dogs last October yet the purchaser is Skype messaging daily to say his solicitor is waiting to hear from mylawyer. What are the post completion sale formalities now that I have sold?

Following your house sale your solicitor should deliver the transfer documentation and all of the paperwork to the purchaser's lawyers. If applicable, your conveyancer must also send confirmation that the home loan has been repaid to the purchasers solicitors. There is unlikely to be post completion requirements unique to conveyancing in Isle of Dogs.

I am intent on selling our property in Isle of Dogs and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being built land that was not decontaminated. Any local conveyancer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers are using an internet conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Isle of Dogs. Having lived in Isle of Dogs for six years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to seek clarification need.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer already. 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 sickness)

I was recommended by numerous property agents in Isle of Dogs to find a solicitor on your site. Is there a financial upside for Estate Agents to recommend your lawyers over a competitor’s?

We don’t make any referral fee for pointing buyers and sellers to this site. We found it would be just too difficult to pay a commission because a client could think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I getting any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

My husband and I are first time buyers - had an offer accepted, but the property agent has warned us that the seller will only proceed if we use their recommended lawyers as they want a ‘quick sale’. We would rather use a high street conveyancer accustomed to conveyancing in Isle of Dogs

It is unlikely the sellers are driving this. If they require ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a motivated purchaser is likely to cause more damage than good. Try to communicate with the owners directly and explain that (a)you are motivated buyers (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you are unencumbered (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you are going to instruct your preferred Isle of Dogs conveyancing lawyers - rather thanthe ones that will provide the estate agent a introducer fee or meet his conveyancing thresholds pre-set by senior management.

I am attracted to a couple of flats in Isle of Dogs both have in the region of forty five years unexpired on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

A lease is a right to use the property for a period of time. As a lease gets shorter the saleability of the lease reduces and it becomes more costly to acquire a lease extension. For this reason it is often a good idea to increase the term of the lease. Sometimes it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease extension can be a protracted process. We recommend you get professional assistance from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this arena.

Following months of negotiations we are unable to agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Isle of Dogs. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Isle of Dogs conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Isle of Dogs flat is 12, 14 & 16 Hull Close in May 2010. the Tribunal determined that the premium payable for the acquisition of the freehold to the subject premises was the sum of £18,300 This case was in relation to 3 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 101.61 years.