AssumingI was to acquire a freehold housein Dartford mortgage fee and have no survey and no conveyancing searches how much could I expect to to save on my conveyancing in Dartford?

The only reduction in fees you would achieve is the costs for searches. Your property lawyer is obliged to do the vast majority of work - money laundering, liaising with the sellers solicitor, SDLT return, register the title etc. A slight saving might be made by not having to register a mortgage however it will not be meaningful.

My house in Dartford is up for sale and I have a purchaser. Does the lawyer have to be on the Santander conveyancing panel in order to deal with the discharge of my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Santander conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently at the moment.

Should our lawyer be asking questions about flooding during the conveyancing in Dartford.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers conducting conveyancing in Dartford. Plenty of people will acquire a property in Dartford, fully aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, aside from the physical damage, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or sell the property. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Conveyancers are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous searches that can be undertaken by the purchaser or by their solicitors which will give them a better appreciation of the risks in Dartford. The standard information supplied to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a usual question of the seller to find out if the premises has historically flooded. In the event that flooding has previously occurred which is not notified by the seller, then a purchaser may bring a legal claim for losses as a result of such an inaccurate response. A buyer’s solicitors will also carry out an enviro report. This should indicate if there is any known flood risk. If so, further inquiries should be initiated.

five months have elapsed following my purchase conveyancing in Dartford concluded. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £150,000 when infact I paid £160,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

About to purchase a new build flat in Dartford. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Here is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Dartford

There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Please supply a car parking plan. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme.