I am soon to complete on the purchase of a property in South East London but as a consequence of wreckage from a small fire at the property I have managed to agree reparation from the owner in the sum of three thousand pounds by way of a deduction in the price. This was going to be dealt with as part of the conveyancing process however Clydesdale will not agree to this. Why were they approached?

Your conveyancer being on a Clydesdale conveyancing panel is duty bound to inform Clydesdale of any amendments to the purchase price. If you were to refuse your property lawyer to disclose the reduction to Clydesdale then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Clydesdale and you would have to appoint a new lawyer for your conveyancing in South East London.

Do commercial conveyancing searches reveal planned roadworks that may affect a commercial property in South East London?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in South East London will order a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers invest in sourcing accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in South East London. The report provides definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in South East London.

For every commercial conveyancing transaction in South East London it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately could result in delays to South East London commercial conveyancing transactions as well as pose a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not carried out for domestic conveyancing in South East London.

I have been pointed in your direction by a number of property agents in South East London to locate a property lawyer using your seach tool. Is there a financial advantage for Estate Agents to offer your site over and above a competitor’s?

We don’t make any financial incentive for directing people to this site. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission as members of the public would think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.

I am looking at a two flats in South East London which have approximately forty five years unexpired on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There are no two ways about it. A leasehold flat in South East London is a wasting asset as a result of the reducing lease term. The nearer the lease gets to zero years unexpired, the more it reduces the salability of the premises. The majority of buyers and banks, leases with under eighty years become less and less marketable. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the property for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of premises with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with South East London conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease. They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that any new terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord for a lease extension without getting anywhere. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on such matters? Can you recommend a South East London conveyancing firm to help?

Most certainly. We are happy to put you in touch with a South East London conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a South East London property is 20 Avonwick Road in July 2013. The Tribunal was dealing with an application under Section 26 of the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 for a determination of the freehold value of the property. It was concluded that the price to be paid was Fifteen Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventy (£15,970) divided as to £8,200 for Flat 20 and £7,770 for Flat 20A This case affected 1 flat. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 73.26 years.

Me and my husband are disposing of a South East London property we inherited some years ago in 2011. I have over 12 years conveyancing know-how and, now retired, see no reason not to do the conveyancing. The buyer's lawyer has informed me that their Lenders will not allow us to do our own conveyancing mandating that the funds to be released via a solicitor's bank account.

Lending instructions to conveyancing practitioners from all mainstream lenders state that If the vendor is not legally represented the purchaser’s lawyers should check whether the lender needs to be notified so that a decision can be reached as to whether or not they are willing to proceed.