I have given 8 weeks notice to my existing landlord and have to be out of my let out property in Richmond Upon Thames by the end of next month. Conveyancing for my house purchase is progressing. Can I complete in three weeks as I wish to avoid having to move into temporary accommodation?

The normal practice is not to provide notice on a rental unless exchange of contracts has taken place. If you have not already done so, contact to your conveyancer and urge them to they cajole the sellers lawyers, try to an acceptable time-line that all parties will look to achieve

My wife and I are purchasing a property in Richmond Upon Thames. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a conveyancer? On completion day we have to put funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our monies?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Richmond Upon Thames off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Virgin Money. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Virgin Money, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.

I currently have a mortgage with TSB for my property in Richmond Upon Thames. Conveyancing has been completed some time ago. Should I wish to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform TSB?

You must advise TSB before letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of TSB’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact TSB directly. You need not do this via a TSB conveyancing panel lawyer.

My wife and I purchased a semi-detached Georgian property in Richmond Upon Thames. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Virgin Money. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You should assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Richmond Upon Thames and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also question the position with your conveyancing lawyer who carried out the work.

I am four weeks into a freehold purchase having been referred to a firm by the estate agent to perform conveyancing in Richmond Upon Thames. We are not happy. Can you you assist me in finding new conveyancers?

A solicitor would need to be very poor in order to consider changing them. Has your mortgage been generated? If so you will need to inform them of the replacement solicitor and have the mortgage documents are issued to the new lawyers. Your conveyancer should be on the banks panel to avoid added fees and complications. That should be your first question of the new solicitors. Our find a solicitor tool should assist you in finding a lender approved conveyancer for your conveyancing in Richmond Upon Thames

There are a lot of properties in Richmond Upon Thames on unadopted lanes. My partner and I are acquiring one such property. Are there any benefits to purchasing a property on a privately owned road?

Richmond Upon Thames conveyancing solicitors will be used to transacting propertieson unadopted roads. Your property lawyer should investigate Land Registry data to find any rights or liabilities. It is possible that there is a residents association that proprietors pay into for the upkeep of the road. Where there is one, the road should be maintained and appear nicer than council owned.