My mortgage company has recommended a law firm on their panel based in Notting Hill but I would rather choose a conveyancing lawyer in Notting Hill local to me. Are you able to help?

Far from all Notting Hill conveyancing practitioners are approved and listed on all banks conveyancing panel. Please make use of our find an approved solicitor tool to choose a Notting Hill conveyancing solicitor on the on the lender panel.

We had selected solicitors located in Notting Hill on the Skipton solicitor panel. They have just billed me a further sum for the legal aspects of the Skipton mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Skipton?

Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your solicitor can charge a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Skipton but by your Notting Hill conveyancer. Some firms on the Skipton panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.

My wife and I have organised the release of further monies on our home loan from Virgin Money as we wish to carry out a loft conversion to our home in Notting Hill. Are we obliged to appoint a nearby Notting Hill solicitor on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?

Virgin Money would not normally require a member of their conveyancing panel to deal with the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Virgin Money panel.

I am expecting a AIP from Kent Reliance this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Kent Reliance recommend any Notting Hill solicitors on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

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

It has been four months following my purchase conveyancing in Notting Hill completed. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £150,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £235,500 and found one near me in Notting Hill I like with open areas and railway links nearby, however it only has 49 years on the lease. There is not much else in Notting Hill in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?

Should you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease may be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.

Two months into a sale of a flat in Notting Hill. Conveyancing lawyers are doing their job but we have been asked to pay an extortionate amount from the landlord. To date we have issued a cheque for £268 for a leasehold management information and then a further £134.40 for additional questions raised by the buyers solicitor.

Neither you or your conveyancer will have any say over the extent of the fee for this information but the typical fee for the information for Notting Hill leasehold premises is £350. For Notting Hill conveyancing deals it is customary for the owner to pay for these charges. The freeholder or their agents are not duty bound to answer these questions although many will agree to do so - albeit often at high prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that mandates fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any statutory time frame by which they are obliged to issue answers.