Me and my wife are acquiring a maisonette in Chelsfield. My lawyer is not on the bank conveyancing list. Is it possible for me to appoint my Chelsfield conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the lender panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?

You have a couple of alternatives available to you here

• Carry on with your chosen Chelsfield property lawyer but your bank will undoubtedly appoint a conveyancing practitioner from their approved panel. This will result in additional cost and likely interruption.
• Choose a fresh conveyancer to conduct the conveyancing, making sure they are on the lender conveyancing panel.
• Convince your lawyer to pull out all the stops to get accepted on the lender’s conveyancing panel

Is it possible for conveyancing in Chelsfield to be finalised in under 28 days?

Where the seller is applying time constraints for your conveyancing it is advisable to make sure that your lawyer is familiar with the area as they will benefit local connections and know-how. It is possible that they could have handled otherhouses in the same street. You would be best advised to use a Chelsfield conveyancing solicitor. Second, be sure that the conveyancing firm is on the member panel. It is understood that 18% of Chelsfield conveyancing deals are held up or jeopardised after finding out that a purchaser’s lawyer was not on their banks list of approved solicitors. This can often result in the transaction being delayed by almost 21 days. It is believed that this issue affects in the region of 100,000 home moves annually. Almost all Chelsfield conveyancing firms can not act for certain lenders so do check at the outset.

When can the exchange of contracts occur in residential conveyancing in Chelsfield and do I need to attend the conveyancers office?

If you are local to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Chelsfield you are welcome to attend to sign contracts. That being said, the lender approved solicitors we work with provide a nationwide conveyancing service and provide just as detailed and professional a job for you when communicating with you electronically. The signing of the purchase agreement is not when everything is set in stone. A signed contract simply enables the solicitor to exchange contracts when the time is right, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The exchange process is is usually a five minute process, although where a lengthy "chain" is involved, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Chelsfield)to be in the office at the appropriate time.

How does conveyancing in Chelsfield differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Chelsfield contact us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is finished. This is because developers in Chelsfield typically acquire the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Chelsfield or who has acted in the same development.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I have offered on a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Chelsfield is the location of the property. Is there any advice you can give?

Flying freeholds in Chelsfield are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Chelsfield you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Chelsfield may ascertain 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 property.