I plan on purchasing property in Richmond Upon Thames. My Conveyancer is not listed on the bank approved list. Am I still permitted to retain my Richmond Upon Thames conveyancing solicitor even though they are not on the mortgage company panel?

You have numerous options available to you here

• Proceed with your preferred Richmond Upon Thames lawyer but your lender will need to retain a conveyancing practitioner on their approved panel. This will result in additional charges together with likely delay.
• Get a fresh conveyancer to conduct the conveyancing, ensuring that they are on the bank conveyancing panel.
• Appeal to your conveyancing practitioner to apply to join the bank panel

Forgive me if this question is silly but I am wet behind the ears as a first time buyer of a two bedroom flat in Richmond Upon Thames. Do I pick up the keys to the house on completion from my lawyer? If this is the case, I will instruct a local conveyancing solicitor in Richmond Upon Thames?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will transfer the completion advance to the owner’s conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be able to pick up the keys from the Estate Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen early afternoon.

Are all Richmond Upon Thames Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Nationwide conveyancing list of approved practices?

A selection of banks and building societies now utilise CQS as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to remain on their panels.

Can you point me to a directory of Yorkshire BS panel conveyancers in Richmond Upon Thames on the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such tool on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. Very few banks make their panel listings open the public online. Where you are looking for a Richmond Upon Thames conveyancer on the Yorkshire BS please use our tool.

I acquired my home on 16 February and the transaction details is yet to be on the land registry website. Any reason for this? My conveyancing solicitor in Richmond Upon Thames advises it would be formalised in a couple of weeks. Are transfers in Richmond Upon Thames uniquely lengthy to register?

There is nothing unique about conveyancing in Richmond Upon Thames registration formalities. Rather than based on location, timeframes can adjust according to who lodges the application, whether it is in order and if the Land registry must send notices to any 3rd persons or bodies. As of today in the region of three quarters of such applications are fully addressed in less than three weeks but some can be subject to longer delays. Registration is effected once the buyer is living at the property thus registration formalities is not typically top priority yet if there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your lawyers can contact the land registry and explain the circumstances.

I need to instruct a conveyancing lawyer in Richmond Upon Thames for my sale. Is there any facility to check a firm’s complaints history with the legal regulator?

Anyone may review presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions arising from investigations from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For information Pre 2008, or to check a firm's record, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For non-uk callers, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA could recorded telephone calls for training requirements.

What are the frequently found deficiencies that you come across in leases for Richmond Upon Thames properties?

Leasehold conveyancing in Richmond Upon Thames is not unique. Most leases are drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain clauses are not included. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

A provision to repair to or maintain parts of the premises Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.

You could encounter difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. HSBC Bank, Bank of Scotland, and Alliance & Leicester all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the buyer to withdraw.

I am the registered owner of a 2 bed flat in Richmond Upon Thames, conveyancing formalities finalised 3 years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Comparable flats in Richmond Upon Thames with a long lease are worth £222,000. The ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2094

With only 70 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.