I have just been advised by my estate agent that my South London the law firm I have appointed is not on the bank Solicitor panel. What can I do to be sure that this is correct?

You need to call your South London conveyancer. You lawyer should inform you of the situation. If they are not on the panel they may recommend you to a South London conveyancing practice that is on the conveyancing panel for your mortgage company.

Why do I have to pay up front for conveyancing in South London?

Where you are retaining lawyers for conveyancing in South London your solicitor will ask you place them with funds to cover the search fees. This will be the total of the cost of the conveyancing searches. If any down payment is payable against the total price then this will be needed shortly ahead of contracts are exchanged. Any further balance that is due should be transferred shortly before completion.

Can you clarify what the consequences are if my solicitor is expelled from the Virgin Money Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in South London?

The first thing to point out is that, this is a very rare occurrence. 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 at a cost.

How straightforward is it to use the search app to select a conveyancing practitioner in South London on the panel for my bank?

1st pick a lender such as Santander, Barnsley Building Society or Bank of Ireland then type in your location for example South London. Conveyancing organisations in South London and beyond should be listed.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in South London from the perspective of saving time on the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in South London can be avoided if you get in touch lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers’ lawyers.
You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable verify this via your lawyers. A purchaser's lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is under 80 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale. Some South London leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their lawyers. If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should make sure that you are holding the original share document. Obtaining a duplicate share certificate can be a time consuming process and slows down many a South London conveyancing deal. If a duplicate share certificate is needed, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (if relevant) for this as soon as possible.

I have had difficulty in negotiating a lease extension in South London. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?

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

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a South London residence is Flat B 10 Grove Avenue in October 2013. Following a vesting order Clerkenwell and Shoreditch County Court 3rd July 2013 The tribunal determines that the premium payable for the lease extension was £36,215.00 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 65.21 years.