It has come to my attention via my mortgage adviser that my Peckham property lawyer is not on the mortgage company Solicitor panel. What can I do to check?

The first thing you need to do is to contact your Peckham lawyer directly. You lawyer should notify you what has happened. Where they are not on the panel they may be able to suggest a Peckham conveyancing practice that is on the conveyancing panel for your mortgage company.

Last August we completed a house move in Peckham. We have since encountered a number of problems with the house which we believe were missed in the conveyancing searches. Do we have any recourse? What searches should? have been carried out as part of conveyancing in Peckham?

The query is not clear as what problems have arisen and if they are unique to conveyancing in Peckham. Conveyancing searches and due diligence initiated as part of the buying process are designed to help avoid problems. As part of the legal transfer of property, a seller answers a document called a SPIF. answers turns out to be inaccurate, then you may have a claim against the seller for any losses that you have suffered. The survey should have identified any problems with the structure of the property. Assuming a detailed survey was carried out and the issues were not identified, you may have a claim against the surveyor. However, if you did not have a full survey, you may be responsible for fixing any defects that have now been noted. We would always encourage buyers to take every possible step to ensure they are completely aware of the condition of a property before purchase regardless of whether they are buying in Peckham.

We are selling our home in Peckham. Will the conveyancer need to be on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel in order to deal with the discharge of my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently in recent years.

I need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor for leasehold conveyancing in Peckham. I've land on a web site which appears to be the perfect solution If there is a chance to get all formalities completed 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 have just appointed agents to market my ground floor flat in Peckham. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, however I have recently had a yearly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?

It best that you pay the invoice as you normally would because all ground rent and service payments should be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I have had difficulty in trying to purchase the freehold in Peckham. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?

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

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Peckham property is 31 Kings Grove in January 2012. By a claim form issued on 11" August 2011 under action number 1LB01618 in the Lambeth County Court the applicant tenants sought dispensation under section 26 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 from the requirement to serve a notice under section 13 of that Act in order to purchase the freehold of the premises. The Tribunal decided the amount payable for the freehold as £10,728 This case was in relation to 2 flats. The remaining number of years on the lease was 80.5 years.