Just contacted my conveyancing solicitor in South London who acted for me 18 months ago asking for a conveyancing estimate based on the same type of home move (a leasehold residence and a freehold property) of almost identical values with a home loan from Godiva Mortgages Ltd. It looks as though am now being quoted double. Stick with what I know or do I try and find an alternative conveyancer?

The charges are a tad high. If you shop around you might decrease the fees slightly by perhaps £100 plus VAT. On the other hand, providing that you were happy with the legal work the firm provided you mightlive to rue choosing an an untested solicitor. If is important to check the conveyancer can also act for Godiva Mortgages Ltd. You can make use of our search tool to select a South London conveyancing firm on the Godiva Mortgages Ltd conveyancing panel, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in South London.

My grandson is in the process of securing a newly built flat in South London with a home loan from Leeds Building Society. His lawyer has advised him of a delay in receiving the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. Who needs to receive the form?

The document is intended to provide information to the main parties engaged in the transaction. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the valuer when requested. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

We are selling our flat in South London. Will the solicitor need to be on the Lloyds conveyancing panel in order to deal with redeeming my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Lloyds conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their specifications fairly frequently currently.

My relative advised me that where I am purchasing in South London I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is occasionally included in the estimate for your South London conveyancing searches. It is a large report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about South London around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding South London.

Is there a difference between surveying and conveyancing in South London?

Conveyancing - in South London or anywhere in England and Wales - is the process of legally transferring legal title of property from one person to another. It involves the checking of the title. Whether buying or selling, you should be aware of anything affecting the property such as proposals by government departments, illegal buildings, or outstanding rates. The conveyancer should conduct the appropriate searches and inquiries on the property. Surveying relates to the structure of a property itself. A surveyor will look at a house, flat and any outbuildings you’re buying and will help you discover the condition of the building and, if there are problems, give you a powerful reason for reducing the price down or asking the vendor to remedy the defects prior to you complete your move.