Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Lambeth is not listed on my bank's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of his conveyancing?

That would most likely be a wrong assumption to make. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator revealed 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) lack of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should simply call the Lambeth conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.

We were just about to sign contracts for a semi detached house in Lambeth. We encountered a problem. Our loan offer with runs out on but the vendors are suggesting a completion date of . Can one extend the loan expiry date?

The best person to deal with your issue is your conveyancer who will hopefully calculate if he or she is should be discussing with the mortgage broker, vendor’s conveyancers, estate agents or possibly all parties taking into account what has gone on in your conveyancing to date.

I am helping my mother sell her house in Lambeth. Will the conveyancing solicitor order an energy assessment or it is for the seller to coordinate?

After the abolition of Home Packs, energy performance certificates was maintained a mandatory component of moving property. An energy assessment must be to hand prior to the property being marketed. This is not a task that solicitors ordinarily arrange. If you are using a Lambeth conveyancing solicitor they may be willing to arrange EPC’s due to their contacts with long established local energy assessors

Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with . Lambeth conveyancing practitioners were instructed. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from ?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have completed the valuation? Have you advised as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Lambeth. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £200. Soon after, the contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

What tools are available to identify a Lambeth solicitor on the conveyancing panel? I am a keen cyclist and am happy to travel upto 10kilometers to meet the lawyer.

Feel free to make use of the facility on this website. Please choose the bank and your location and you will see a number of Lambeth conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have detailed some Lambeth conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can call them to verify if they are on the approved list

I am looking at a two flats in Lambeth both have about 50 years left on the lease term. should I be concerned?

There are plenty of short leases in Lambeth. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a period of time. As a lease shortens the value of the lease reduces and it becomes more costly to extend the lease. For this reason it is advisable to increase the term of the lease. More often than not it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease as mortgage companies may be unwilling to lend money on such properties. Lease enfranchisement can be a protracted process. We advise that you get professional assistance from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this arena.

Lambeth Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries Prior to buying

Is the freehold owned collectively by the leaseholders? What is the length of the lease? It is important to be aware whether a new roof is being installed or some other major work is pending that will be shared by the tenants and will dramatically impact the level of the service costs or necessitate a one time payment.