Having been suggested to visit your web site we were going to use a conveyancing solicitor in Cheam endorsed using your comparison tool but have come across alternative estimates on the internet look less expensive – how come?

There are numerous solicitors offering what appear to be very low prices. We suggest that you think long and hard about how important this transaction is to you that want to take 'cheap' risks in relation to the standard of the conveyancing. Many of them highlight a budget quote to entice you but hide extra costs in the small print..

I used Arc property Solicitors a few years ago for my conveyancing in Cheam. I now require my file but the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Cheam of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £305k and found one near me in Cheam I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 49 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Cheam in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?

If you require a mortgage that many years will be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you may request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Cheam. Conveyancing and Virgin Money mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing practitioner in Cheam who previously acted has now retired. Any advice?

First make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. You do not need to instruct a Cheam conveyancing firm to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord for a lease extension without any joy. Can a leaseholder apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Cheam conveyancing firm to help?

if there is a missing landlord or where there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to make a decision on the sum to be paid.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Cheam residence is 33 The Maisonettes Alberta Avenue in June 2014. the Tribunal decided that the premium payable for the grant of a new lease be the sum of £20,680 (Twenty Thousand six hundred and eighty pounds). This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 60.43 years.

What do I do if I am not happy with the lawyer who did our conveyancing in Cheam?

Occasionally the level of service you receive is not as you expect, and unfortunately every so often things do go wrong. Nevertheless there is recourse where you were unhappy with your conveyancing in Cheam. This varies from trying to resolve matters directly with them, through to reporting a property lawyer to their governing body. If you remain aggrieved you may consider getting in touch with the Legal Ombudsman.