I decided to go with a Fairlop based firm for my conveyancing in Fairlop today. Upon checking the official terms of business I seeI am liable for charges even where the conveyance does not complete. Would I be best advised to appoint a web based solicitor practice promising no completion no cost conveyancing in Fairlop?

Generally there is a concession along the lines that if "No Completion No Fee" is available then the conveyancing charges will generally be higher to counteract those transactions that fail to complete. Do bear in mind that these schemes rarely cover expenditure such as Fairlop conveyancing search expenses.

I just acquired a house at auction in Fairlop. Conveyancing is required. What is next?

Having exchanged you should retain a conveyancing lawyer soon as you will have a pending a drop dead date to complete the property. All auction property will have a bespoke auction pack. This should include the copy title deeds, local authority and drainage searches. If you have purchased leasehold property the conveyancing pack may provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation relating to leasehold premises. You should give this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor as soon as possible. You also need to ensure that that you have the requisite funding organised to complete on the date specified in the contract.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Fairlop. I have a mortgage agreed with RBS. 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 use 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 RBS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the RBS conveyancing panel.

Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Fairlop solicitor - who is on the TSB conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

TSB will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually TSB will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Fairlop surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

Should our solicitor be raising questions regarding flooding during the conveyancing in Fairlop.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers specialising in conveyancing in Fairlop. Plenty of people will buy a house in Fairlop, fully expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, suitable insurance cover, or sell the premises. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Solicitors are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, but there are a various searches that can be initiated by the purchaser or by their lawyers which should figure out the risks in Fairlop. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms supplied to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) incorporates a standard question of the vendor to determine if the property has ever been flooded. If the property has been flooded in past which is not revealed by the vendor, then a buyer could issue a compensation claim resulting from an incorrect response. The buyer’s solicitors will also carry out an enviro report. This should higlight if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries should be initiated.

My wife and I have a 4 bedroom Edwardian property in Fairlop. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Barnsley Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Fairlop and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who carried out the work.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Fairlop I like with open areas and railway links in the vicinity, however it's only got 49 years on the lease. There is not much else in Fairlop for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

If you need a mortgage that many years may be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this.