In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Putney? What am I being asked for?

It is indeed that case that these requests have nothing to do with conveyancing in Putney. However these days you can not proceed with any conveyancing transaction if you have not submitting proof of your identity. This usually takes the form of a either your passport or driving licence and a utility bill. Please note that if you are supplying your driving licence as proof of identification it needs to be both the paper section and photo card part, one is not satisfactory in the absence of the other.

Proof of your source of funds is required under Money Laundering Regulations. You should not be offended when you are asked to produce this as your conveyancer must retain this information on record. Your Putney conveyancing lawyer will need to see evidence of proof of funds before they are able to accept any money from you into their client account and they should also ask further queries concerning the source of monies.

What happens if my solicitor is suspended from the Bank of Ireland Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Putney?

First, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.

I have been told that property searches are a common cause of hinderance in Putney conveyancing transactions. Is that correct?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released determinations of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the most frequent causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Searches are not likely to be the root cause of holding up conveyancing in Putney.

My wife and I purchased a renovated Edwardian house in Putney. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Chelsea Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Putney and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the situation with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the work.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what should have been a simple, no chain conveyancing. Putney is where the house is located. Can you offer any opinion?

Flying freeholds in Putney are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Putney you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Putney may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.