The sellers of the property we are looking to purchase have appointed a conveyancing practitioner in Chelsfield who has suggested a lock out contract with a non-refundable deposit 10k. Are such agreements sensible?

Lock out agreements are contracts binding a home seller and prospective acquirer granting the buyer a ‘clear field’ to purchase the property for a limited period of time. For all intents and purposes, a lock out agreement is a contract specifying that you will have a contract at a later date being the contract for the actual sale. It tends to be used for buyer confidence though in many situations, the owner may enjoy an upside from such agreements as well. There are various positives and negatives to using an agreement but you should to check with your solicitor but beware that it may end up costing you more in conveyancing fees. In light of this these contracts are unusual in relation to conveyancing in Chelsfield.

This question may be naive but I am new to the house moving as a 1st time purchaser of a two bedroom flat in Chelsfield. Do I collect the keys to the property on completion from my lawyer? If so, I will use a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Chelsfield?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will electronically transfer the completion advance to the vendor’s conveyancers, and once they have received this, you will be invited to pick up the keys from the selling Agents and move into your new home. This tends to happen early afternoon.

Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Chelsfield. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

Most lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.

I have instructed a Chelsfield conveyancing practitioner having checked that they are on the TSB conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

TSB will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually TSB 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 lawyer 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 Chelsfield postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with TSB, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Chelsfield.

Are there any apps to assist me to locate a Chelsfield solicitor on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel? I drive a motor bike and am willing to travel upto 20kilometers to meet the solicitor.

Feel free to make use of the facility on this page. Please select a mortgage company and your location and you will see a number of Chelsfield conveyancing lawyers based on proximity. We have listed some Chelsfield conveyancing firms towards the end of this page and you can contact them to check whether they are on the Clydesdale approved list

My step-father has suggested that I use his conveyancers in Chelsfield. Do I follow his recommendation?

There are no two ways about it the ideal way to find a conveyancing lawyer is to have recommendations from friends or relatives who have actually experience in using the firm that you are contemplating using.

I have just started marketing my 2 bed apartment in Chelsfield. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, but I have recently had a half-yearly service charge demand – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should pay the invoice as normal given that all rents and service invoices should be allotted on completion, 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 unless 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I own a a ground floor purpose built flat in Chelsfield. In the absence of agreement between myself and the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the premium payable for a lease extension?

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

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Chelsfield flat is 1 Southlands Court Southlands Road in September 2013. The Leasehold Valuation Tribunal determined that the premium to be paid by the tenant on the grant of a new lease, in accordance with section 56 and Schedule 13 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 was £30,541 This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired term was 50.57 years.