Why would one use a East London conveyancing solicitors firm given that national alternatives are cheap by comparison?

By all means make sure that you get 2 or 3 like-for-like quotes for conveyancing costs in East London and you should seek an affordable estimate but don’t be focused with looking for the cheapest East London conveyancer. Appointing the right conveyancer can be the distinction between a seamless and a stressful move. It is important that you ensure that you have expert advice from an experienced lawyer. An e-mail can never be as helpful as a telephone call and can never replicate a one to one consultation. Our partner firms will find you a qualified and trusted conveyancing solicitor who can tackle your conveyancing from start to finish, providing a level of personalised service that you will never get with an internet conveyancer. Our lawyers will contact you regularly to update you on progress making sure that you are ensuring that you are updated at regular intervals. If you ever need to phone the office you will be sure who you need to speak to and we'll be sure you are kept fully informed.

After reviewing consumer advice sites for an online solicitor in East London, many comment that I should use a CQS kitemarked lawyer. Can you explain what CQS is?

The Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme is the recognised quality mark for legal experts in home ownership transfers, trusted by some of the UK's leading mortgage companies. Four years ago the Conveyancing Quality Scheme was officially recognised by the Building Societies Association (BSA). CQS is not a scheme offered by the Society for Licensed Conveyancers. East London is one of the numerous areas of the UK where there are CQS solicitors.

There is lots of information on this site about conveyancing in East London but can you isolate your top tip for appointing the right conveyancer in East London

We would encourage you not to base your choice on the cheapest East London conveyancing quote. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in advance.

I am due to move home in November. Should my conveyancing solicitor update the removal company on the completion day. Incidentally, can you recommend a removal company in East London. Conveyancing solicitor was chosen before I stumbled across your page.

On the afternoon of completion you can pick up the house keys from the property agent however this should only be done after the previous owners solicitors inform the agent that they have the completion monies and the keys can be given over. After that you will need to inform the removal company that you are ready to move in. As a matter of policy we do not recommend a specific removal company but can assist you in choosing a residential property solicitor in East London or a legal practice that specialises in conveyancing in East London.

At last I have had an offer on a flat in East London accepted, but there is a chain. The owners have put an offer on a property, but it’s not been accepted yet, and are looking at other properties in the pipeline. I have selected a local conveyancing solicitor in East London. What should be my next step? At what point do I apply for the mortgage with UBS?

It is normal to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (mortgage application is approx one thousand pounds, then survey, East London conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you should ensure that your conveyancer is on the UBS approved list. Regarding the subsequent stages this very much depends on the uniqueness of your case, motivation for this property and on the state of the market. During a hot market the majority of home buyers will apply for a home loan with UBS and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to proceed with the conveyancing in East London.

I am purchasing a new build house in East London with a loan from Virgin Money. The sellers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The estate agent advised me not disclose to my lawyer about this extras as it would put at risk my loan with the bank. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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 have just appointed agents to market my ground floor apartment in East London. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, however I have just had a yearly service charge demand – what should I do?

It best that you clear the maintenance contribution as normal given that all ground rent and service charges will be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until 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. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I am the registered owner of a ground-floor 1960’s flat in East London. Given that I can not reach agreement with the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the premium payable for the purchase of the freehold?

Where there is a missing landlord or if there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant legislation you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to calculate the premium.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a East London property is 20 Avonwick Road in July 2013. The Tribunal was dealing with an application under Section 26 of the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 for a determination of the freehold value of the property. It was concluded that the price to be paid was Fifteen Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventy (£15,970) divided as to £8,200 for Flat 20 and £7,770 for Flat 20A This case was in relation to 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 73.26 years.