I am the sole beneficiary of my late father’s estate and I have everything in my name now, including the house in Blackheath. The Blackheath property was put into my name in August. I want to move. I understand that there is a CML six month 'rule', which means that my property ownership could be regarded the same way as if I'd bought the property in August. Is the property unsalable for six months?

The CML handbook mandates solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you may be impacted by that. Some mortgage companies would take a practical view as this requirement is primarily there to identify the purchase and immediately sell or the flipping of property.

We had selected conveyancing lawyers with offices in Blackheath on the Bank of Ireland solicitor panel. They have just billed me an additional charge for dealing with the Bank of Ireland mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Bank of Ireland?

Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your property lawyer can charge a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by Bank of Ireland but by your Blackheath conveyancing practitioner. Plenty of firms on the Bank of Ireland panel will quote an ‘acting for lender’ fee but plenty of practices include it on their overall fee.

We expect to receive a AIP from Skipton this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Skipton recommend any Blackheath solicitors on the Skipton conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?

You will need to appoint Blackheath solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Skipton conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Skipton through the process.

It has been 3 months following my purchase conveyancing in Blackheath concluded. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £160,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the property from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I was recommended by a few property agents in Blackheath to select a conveyancer using your seach tool. Is there a financial incentive for Estate Agents to market your services over alternative conveyancing organisations?

We refuse to offer any commission for directing people in our direction. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission because members of the public would think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

I’m about to sell my ground floor apartment in Blackheath. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, however I have recently had a quarterly service charge demand – Do I pay up?

The sensible thing to do is discharge the maintenance contribution as normal given that all rents and maintenance invoices should be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I own a second floor flat in Blackheath. In the absence of agreement between myself and the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the sum due for a lease extension?

You certainly can. We can put you in touch with a Blackheath conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Blackheath premises is 73 Walerand Road in August 2012. the result of the findings of the Tribunal led to a premium to be paid for the extended lease in respect of Flat 73 in the sum of £10,040. The premium applicable in respect of Flat 85 was £5,710. This case affected 2 flats. The remaining number of years on the lease was 72 years.

I have been recommended a conveyancing solicitor in Blackheath. I I would like to check if they are listed on the lender's conveyancing panel. Could you or the bank confirm if they are on the panel?

It’s a good idea contact your solicitor to enquire if they are on the lender's approved list. Alternatively please call us and we can make some checks for you. Should the firm not be on the conveyancing panel we can certainly arrange a quality conveyancing solicitor in Blackheath on the panel for your mortgage company.