Is it correct that all East London CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Skipton conveyancing panel?

Some major banks and building societies now utilise the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. CQS membership however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to join their approved list of firms.

is it true that all East London solicitors on the TSB conveyancing panel are governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the TSB approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the SRA. The majority of mortgage companies do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such practice would be overseen by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

My partner and I are spending time viewing houses in East London and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it sensible to have my solicitor on ‘stand by’? I intend to finance via a mortgage with TSB.

It would be advisable to instigate your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the EA. Given that you are seeking a mortgage with TSB, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the TSB conveyancing panel.

A friend suggested that where I am buying in East London I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

A search of this type is usually included in the estimate for your East London conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out important information about East London around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the East London Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about East London.

four months have gone by following my purchase conveyancing in East London concluded. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £215,000. 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 asset 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.

Due to the guidance of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in East London ahead of instructing solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the property. The surveyor advised that some mortgage companies will not grant a loan on this type of premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you contact us we can investigate further with the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in East London. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

At last I have had an offer on an apartment in East London agreed to, but there is a chain. The vendors have offered on a flat, although it’s not yet agreed to, and are looking at other apartments booked. I have selected a local conveyancing solicitor in East London. What do I do now? At what stage should I apply for the mortgage with Virgin Money?

It is standard to have apprehensions where there is an associated chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses too early (mortgage application is approx £1k, then valuation, East London conveyancing search costs, etc). The first thing to do is check that your property lawyer is on the Virgin Money approved list. As to the subsequent stages this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. During a hot market the majority of home buyers would apply for a home loan with Virgin Money and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they ask their conveyancer to press on with the conveyancing in East London.