Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unexperienced as FTB of a two bedroom flat in Camberwell. Do I pick up the keys to the house on completion from my lawyer? If so, I will find a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Camberwell?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Conveyancing lawyers for you will electronically transfer the completion advance to the seller's solicitors, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be invited to receive the keys from the Estate Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen early afternoon.

We previously chose conveyancers with offices in Camberwell on the Santander solicitor panel. They have just billed me a further amount for dealing with the Santander mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Santander?

As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your conveyancing practitioner can charge a fee for this. The charge is not set by Santander but by your Camberwell conveyancing practitioner. Plenty of firms on the Santander panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but plenty of firms include it on their overall fee.

How can we know in advance if a Camberwell conveyancing solicitor on the Nottingham panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Camberwell obtaining recommendations is a sensible start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always advocate that you speak with the solicitor conducting your transaction.

Me and my brother own a semi-detached Georgian house in Camberwell. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Aldermore. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the matching address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Camberwell and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the situation with your conveyancing solicitor who carried out the work.

I'm purchasing a new build house in Camberwell benefiting from help to buy. The developers refused to budge the price so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The sale representative told me not disclose to my lawyer about the deal as it may impact my loan with the lender. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

How do I use the search tool to get a fee calculation from a conveyancing lawyer in Camberwell on the panel for my lender?

First pick a lender such as Santander, Leeds Building Society or Nottingham Building Society then choose your preferred area for instance Camberwell. Conveyancing practices in Camberwell and nationally will then be shown.

Been reading online that Camberwell solicitors are more costly than Camberwell conveyancers in Camberwell to use when purchasing a property. Am I better off using a conveyancer or a solicitor where I am buying a house in Camberwell.

When it comes to conveyancing in Camberwell the costs are unlikely to vary dramatically depending on whether the legal expert is a licenced conveyancer or solicitor.