I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Brondesbury. My lender is Chelsea Building Society

Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 7/9/2025, the requirements read as follows :

My wife and I are buying a flat in Brondesbury. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a lawyer? On completion day we have to send our life savings into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our monies?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

We had appointed solicitors with offices in Brondesbury on the Lloyds solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a supplemental amount for dealing with the Lloyds mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Lloyds?

As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your lawyer may charge a fee for this. The fee is not set by Lloyds but by your Brondesbury property lawyer. Numerous firms on the Lloyds panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some practices include it on their overall fee.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Brondesbury conveyancing practitioner having made sure that they are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Aldermore will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Aldermore will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your solicitor will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Brondesbury postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Aldermore, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Brondesbury.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a quick, chain free conveyancing. Brondesbury is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Brondesbury are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Brondesbury you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Brondesbury may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

My partner has recommend that I instruct his conveyancing solicitors in Brondesbury. Should I use them?

There are no two ways about it the ideal way to choose a conveyancing lawyer is to get feedback from friends or family who have actually experience in using the solicitor that you are considering.

My partner and I hope to buy our 1st property in Brondesbury. Conveyancing practitioner has been selected. The mortgage adviser suggested that a survey is not appropriate as the property was only constructed in 2002.

The bare minimum you need a Home Buyer's Report. As the residence was constructed over a decade ago the property will not benefit from a warranty, so you don't want to take a risk. For a property that age with no signs of defects a Home Buyer's report could be sufficient. The report should highlight any obvious problems and recommend additional investigation where relevant. Where there are any signs of material issues obtain a comprehensive structural survey.