We were about to instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Blackheath recommended by you but have come across some other estimates via the web appear less expensive – how come?

There are a variety of conveyancing outfits marketing what appear to be extremely cheap conveyancing in Blackheath. We suggest that you give due consideration about how important this transaction is to you that want to take 'cheap' risks over the standard of the conveyancing. Many of them accentuate a bargain fee to grab your attention but conceal supplemental charges in the small print..

AssumingI was to buy a simple residential homein Blackheath for cash and have no survey and no local authority searches how much should I expect to have to pay for conveyancing in Blackheath?

Any savings you would achieve will be limited to the Blackheath conveyancing searches. A conveyancing practitioner is required to do the vast majority of work - money laundering, liaising with the vendors property lawyer, SDLT submission, register the property etc. You might save a bit for them not needing to register a charge however it will not be significant.

Please explain the implications if my lawyer’s firm is suspended from the Bank of Ireland Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Blackheath?

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.

There are plenty of conveyancing solicitors in Blackheath but how do I know who's good?

We would encourage you not to base your choice on the lowest Blackheath conveyancing fees. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

We had instructed conveyancing lawyers locally in Blackheath on the HSBC solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a separate fee for the legal aspects of the HSBC mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by HSBC?

As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your property lawyer may charge a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by HSBC but by your Blackheath lawyer. Plenty of firms on the HSBC panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some firms include it on their overall fee.

I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in November 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, TSB are being problematic. The Blackheath solicitor who is on the TSB conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but TSB are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do TSB have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that TSB have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why TSB may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

Is planning permission needed to split a house into multiple flats in Blackheath? This has been done to a property opposite to my home in Blackheath and was not aware of it happening until after the works were complete.

Planning Consent yes. Building Reg Approval yes.