My previous solicitor has given a fee estimate £1400 for freehold conveyancing in East Ham. I’m selling a purpose built detached home for £150,000. Are these estimated fees excessive? Is it in excess of what I should be paying for conveyancing in East Ham?

The charges are a little high. Where you are happy to expend time contrasting charges you may be able to trim some of the expense by perhaps a hundred pounds. On the other hand, you maycome to rue opting for an a cheaper solicitor. Don't forget to ensure the solicitor can act for your mortgage company. You can employ our comparison tool to choose a East Ham conveyancing practice on the banks approved list of lawyers which can often include conveyancing solicitors in East Ham.

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Nottingham, do East Ham conveyancing practitioners face a yearly amount to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are unaware of any bank fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

Is there a list of Santander panel solicitors in East Ham on the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Website?

No. There is no such directory service on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. A small selection of mortgage companies make their panel listings open the public on the web. Where you are seeking to appoint a East Ham lawyer on the Santander please make the most of our facility.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in East Ham off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Kent Reliance. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Kent Reliance, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in East Ham?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in East Ham. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I'm buying my first flat in East Ham benefiting from help to buy. The builders would not move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The property agent advised me not reveal to my lawyer about the extras as it could affect my loan with the bank. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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.

I am employed by a busy estate agency in East Ham where we see a few flat sales put at risk due to short leases. I have been given contradictory information from local East Ham conveyancing firms. Can you confirm whether the owner of a flat can instigate the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

I am the proprietor of a ground floor flat in East Ham. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the amount payable for the purchase of the freehold?

if there is a missing landlord or where there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant statutes it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to arrive at the amount due.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a East Ham flat is 46 Credon Road in January 2014. On 11 September 2013 Deputy District Judge Price sitting at the Bow County Court made a vesting order that the freeholder surrender his lease and be granted a new lease of the Premises on such terms as may be determined by the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).The appropriate sum as concluded by the Tribunal was £7225 This case related to 1 flat. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 69.77 years.