My fiance and I are buying a 3 bedroom apartment in Westminster with a residential mortgage from Lloyds TSB Bank.We like our Westminster conveyancing practitioner but Lloyds TSB Bank advised that her practice is not on their approved list of firms. It seems we are left with no choice but to instruct a Lloyds TSB Bank panel lawyer or keep our preferred solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The loan issued to you is subject to its various provisions, a common one being that conveyancers will be on the Lloyds TSB Bank approved list. in the past, most mortgage companies had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could find 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 solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Lloyds TSB Bank

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Clydesdale, do Westminster lawyers have to pay a fee to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are not aware of any bank fees to be on their panel, although some do levy an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

Is it the case that all Westminster solicitor practices on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel are governed by the SRA?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel they would need to be overseen by the SRA. The majority of banks do list licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be regulated by the CLC.

My sealed bid on a detached house in Westminster has been agreed to, but there is a chain. The owners have put an offer on somewhere, however it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other flats booked. I have chosen a high street conveyancing solicitor in Westminster. What should be my next step? At what stage should I apply for the mortgage with UBS?

It is normal to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses prematurely (mortgage application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then valuation, Westminster conveyancing search costs, etc). The first course of action is to check that your conveyancer is on the UBS approved list. Concerning the subsequent phase this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market some purchasers would apply for a home loan with UBS and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their solicitor to move forward with the conveyancing in Westminster.

Should commercial conveyancing searches reveal impending roadworks that may impact a commercial estate in Westminster?

Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in Westminster will order a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers invest in looking into accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Westminster. The report sets out definitive data 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 Westminster.

For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Westminster it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately may cause delays to Westminster commercial conveyancing transactions as well as pose a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not conducted for domestic conveyancing in Westminster.

I am looking into buying my first house which is in Westminster and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Westminster. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Westminster area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Westminster. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

We expect to complete the sale of our £175,000 flat in Westminster in just under a week. The management company has quoted £300 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Westminster?

Westminster conveyancing on leasehold flats often involves the buyer’s lawyer submitting enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address such questions the majority will be content to assist. They may levy a reasonable charge for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some cases it is above £800. The administration charge demanded by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration fees, otherwise the charge is not strictly payable. In reality one has no choice but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to complete the sale of your home.

After months of negotiations we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Westminster. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

if there is a missing landlord or if there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant legislation it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to assess the amount due.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Westminster premises is Flats 12A & 19, Evelyn Mansions Carlisle Place in June 2009. The Tribunal held that the price to be paid for the new lease of Flat 12A is £168,824, For the other flat the price was set at £169,110 This case related to 2 flats. The remaining number of years on the lease was 56 years.