As someone not used to the Nine Elms conveyancing process what’s the number one tip you can impart concerning the home moving process in Nine Elms

Not many law firms or advisers will tell you this but conveyancing in Nine Elms or throughout England and Wales is an adversarial experience. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there exists plenty of opportunity for friction between you and other parties involved in the ownership transfer. For example, the vendor, selling agent and on occasion the lender. Appointing a law firm for your conveyancing in Nine Elms is a critical decision as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE party in the legal process whose interest is to protect your legal interests and to keep you safe.

There is a definite ongoing adversarial element to conveyancing- someone has to be at fault for the process taking so long. We recommend that you your first instinct should be to trust your solicitor ahead of the other players in the home moving process.

If you had a top tip for selecting a conveyancing solicitor in Nine Elms what would it be?

Do not opt for the cheapest Nine Elms conveyancing fees. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in ahead of the deal.

I was told three weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Coventry BS. Is it usual for Coventry BS to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Nine Elms is approved on their conveyancing panel? Coventry BS have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance Schedule.

A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Coventry BS to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I have finally had an offer on a maisonette in Nine Elms accepted, but there is a chain. The sellers have placed an offer on a flat, but it’s not yet tied up, and are looking at other properties in the pipeline. I have selected a local conveyancing solicitor in Nine Elms. What do I do now? At what point should I apply for the mortgage with Bank of Ireland?

It is understandable to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is in the region of £1k, then valuation, Nine Elms conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you should ensure that your property lawyer is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. Regarding the subsequent stages this very much depends on the uniqueness of your case, desire for the property and on the state of the market. During a rising market the majority of home buyers will apply for a home loan with Bank of Ireland and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their property lawyer to move forward with the conveyancing in Nine Elms.

I am buying a property and the solicitor has raised the issue of Chancel Repair to which the house could be obligated to pay given it’s proximity to the area of such a church. She has suggested insurance. Is this strictly required for conveyancing in Nine Elms

Unless a previous purchase of the premises took place after 12 October 2013 you can take it that lawyers delivering conveyancing in Nine Elms to continue to suggest a chancel search and or chancel repair liability insurance.

I need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor for residential conveyancing in Nine Elms. I happened to chance upon a site which seems to have the ideal offering If there is a chance to get all the legals done via email that would be ideal. Should I be wary? What are the potential pitfalls?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

I've recently bought a leasehold house in Nine Elms. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I own a first floor flat in Nine Elms. In the absence of agreement between myself and the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the premium payable for the purchase of the freehold?

Most certainly. We can put you in touch with a Nine Elms conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Nine Elms property is 150A Albert Palace Mansions Lurline Gardens in July 2013. The Tribunal determined that the premium payable for the new lease of the subject property was £42,069 This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 57.06 years.