Unfortunately I am unable to travel far from Heston. Is there a reason why all Heston conveyancing practitioners are not on all bank panels?

Even though it may seem unfair for mortgage companies to restrict who can act for them, from the public’s or conveyancer’s viewpoint, the flip side is that banks are becoming ever more anxious and consider it imperative to defend themselves against illegal activities. As a result of this concern banks are limiting their conveyancing panel to a size that they are happy to control.

In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Heston? What am I being asked for?

Heston conveyancing solicitors and indeed property lawyers accross the UK have an obligation under money laundering regulations to check the ID of any client in order to satisfy themselves that clients are who they say they are.

Conveyancing clients are required to produce two forms of certified ID; proof of ID (usually a Passport or Driving Licence) and evidence of address (typically a Bank Statement no more than three months).

Proof of the origin of funds is also necessary under the money laundering regulations as solicitors have a duty to check that the money you are using to buy a property (be it the exchange deposit or the full purchase monies if you are a cash purchaser) has come from an acceptable source (such as employment savings) and is not the product of illegitimate behaviour.

We are buying a apartment in Heston. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a lawyer? At some point we will need to put funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our deposit?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

I can see plenty of information on this site concerning conveyancing in Heston but can you isolate your top tip for selecting the right conveyancer in Heston

We would encourage you not to go for the cheapest Heston conveyancing fees. 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 go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

The mortgage over my property is with RBS for my property in Heston. Conveyancing was finalised months ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform RBS?

RBS must be informed of your intention in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of RBS’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact RBS directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a RBS conveyancing panel lawyer.

My relative advised me that if I am buying in Heston I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is usually included in the estimate for your Heston conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out important information about Heston around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Heston Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Heston Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Heston.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and identified one close by in Heston I like with a park and railway links nearby, the downside is that it only has 52 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Heston suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?

Should you require a home loan that many years will likely be problematic. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you may request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.