My husband and I wish to acquire a newly converted flat in Sydenham Hill with a mortgage from The Royal Bank of Scotland.We like our Sydenham Hill conveyancing solicitor but The Royal Bank of Scotland says she’s not on their "panel". It seems we are left with no choice but to instruct a The Royal Bank of Scotland panel firm or retain our local solicitor and fork out for a The Royal Bank of Scotland panel lawyer to act for them. We feel as though this is unjust; Can we not simply insist that The Royal Bank of Scotland use our lawyer?

No, not really. The home loan offered to you contains terms and conditions, a common one being that conveyancers needs to be on the The Royal Bank of Scotland approved list. Until recently, most banks had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for The Royal Bank of Scotland

When it comes to lenders such as TSB, do Sydenham Hill property lawyers have to pay a fee to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are unaware of any bank fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

Can you point me to a directory of Bank of Ireland panel conveyancers in Sydenham Hill on the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Website?

No. There is no such directory service on the CML or Building Society Association sites. Very few lenders make their panel listings available online. Where you are seeking to appoint a Sydenham Hill conveyancer on the Bank of Ireland please make the most of our facility.

I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Sydenham Hill. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £200. A few days later, the property lawyer called me to say that they were not on the HSBC conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the HSBC panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I got the keys to my apartment on 5 November and my personal details are still not on the land registry website. Should I be concerned? My conveyancing solicitor in Sydenham Hill advises it should be dealt with inside ten days. Are titles in Sydenham Hill uniquely lengthy to register?

There is nothing unique when it comes to conveyancing in Sydenham Hill registration formalities. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timescales can differ subject to who lodges the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry communicate with any third persons or bodies. As of today in the region of three quarters of submission are completed in less than three weeks but some can be subject to extensive hold-ups. Historically registration occurs after the purchaser has moved in to the property thus post completion formalities is not always top priority but where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your lawyers must contact the land registry and explain the circumstances.

Am I right to be suspicious about brokers that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use a nationwide conveyancing firm rather than a High Street Sydenham Hill conveyancing practice?

As with many professional services, often suggestions from connections can be most helpful. Yet there are lots of parties with a keen interest in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, financial adviser and banks may recommend lawyers to use. Sometimes these conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but occasionally there might be a financial incentive behind the endorsement. You are free to choose your own conveyancer. Don't forget that some lenders operate an approved list of lawyers you are obliged to use for the mortgage aspect of your home move.

We expect to complete the sale of our £275,000 maisonette in Sydenham Hill next Wednesday. The management company has quoted £396 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Sydenham Hill?

For most leasehold sales in Sydenham Hill conveyancing will involve, questions about the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

Completing pre-exchange enquiries Where consent is required before sale in Sydenham Hill Copies of the building insurance and schedule Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your conveyancer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Sydenham Hill leasehold premises is £350. For Sydenham Hill conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are obliged to provide the information.

I am the leaseholder of a first floor flat in Sydenham Hill. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the amount payable for a lease extension?

You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Sydenham Hill conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Sydenham Hill property is Flat 1 4 Border Crescent in March 2012. the Tribunal decided that the sum payable by the Applicants to the Respondent in respect of the new lease for the subject property should be £11,616.00 (ElevenThousand and Six Hundred and Sixteen Pounds) This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 72.04 years.