I am nearing exchange of contracts for my ground floor flat in Kingswood and the EA has just telephoned to advise that the purchasers are switching conveyancer. The reason given is that the bank will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a big named lender only engage with specific lawyers rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Kingswood ?

Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms they are content to work with, but in the last few years big names such as Nationwide, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for decades.

Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are not going to have any impact on this.

I am purchasing a property without a mortgage in Kingswood. I have lived for the previous Seventeen years in Kingswood. Conveyancing searches are expensive. Given that I have knowledge of the area and road very well must I have all the conveyancing searches?

In the absence of a home loan, then almost all of the Kingswood conveyancing searches are non-obligatory. Your lawyer will 'advise', perhaps strongly, that you should have searches done, but she is duty bound to do this. One thing to consider; if you are likely to sell the house at a future date, it will likely be be of importance to your future purchaser what the searches reveal. Sometimes houses with functional issues can still show up unfavourable search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Kingswood should be able to give you some helpful advice concerning this.

What does commercial conveyancing in Kingswood cover?

Kingswood conveyancing for business premises covers a wide range of guidance, supplied by regulated solicitors, relating to business premises. For instance, this type of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more commonly, the transfer of existing leases or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial mortgages and the termination of tenancies.

I am four weeks into a leasehold purchase having been referred to conveyancers by the selling agent to perform conveyancing in Kingswood. I am am extremely frustrated with the quality of service. Can you help me find new conveyancers?

They would need to be really bad in order to consider diss instructing them. Has the loan offer been generated? If so you must make them aware of the replacement lawyer and get the mortgage documents are re-sent. The solicitor ideally needs to be on the lenders panel to avoid added costs and frustration. So that should be your first question of the new conveyancers. Our search tool can help you find a lender approved conveyancer for your home move in Kingswood

What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Kingswood conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Kingswood conveyancing firm) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you talk with several firms including non Kingswood conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be helpful:

How experienced is the practice with lease extension legislation?

Leasehold Conveyancing in Kingswood - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

Are any of leasehold owners in dispute over their service charge liability? Most Kingswood leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service bill for the upkeep of the block set on behalf of the landlord. Should you purchase the apartment you will have to pay this contribution, usually quarterly accross the year. This can differ from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built buildings. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay annual, ordinarily this is not a significant sum, say around £25-£75 but you need to enquire it because sometimes it can be many hundreds of pounds. Is there a share of the freehold?