The housing market in Millwall is heating up. What can I do to quicken up the buying process?

Where the seller is applying time constraints for your conveyancing it is highly recommended that your lawyer is familiar with the location as they will benefit local relationships and intelligence. It is possible that they could have transacted otherhomes in the same road. Therefore consider using a Millwall conveyancing lawyer. In addition, be sure that the lawyer is on the on the approved list for your mortgage company. It is said that just under twenty per cent of Millwall conveyancing deals are frustrated or derailed after finding out that a purchaser’s conveyancer was not on their banks member panel. In many cases this discovery resulted in the conveyancing being held up by an average of three weeks. It is said that this issue affects approximately one hundred thousand home sales every year. Many Millwall conveyancing practices can not act for certain banks so do check as early as possible.

I can see plenty of information on this site regarding conveyancing in Millwall but can you isolate your top tip for choosing the right conveyancer in Millwall

We would encourage you not to base your choice on the cheapest Millwall conveyancing fees. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to property lawyers. 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 ahead of the deal.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Millwall off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Nottingham. 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 Nottingham, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Nottingham conveyancing panel.

About to purchase apartment in Millwall. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the TSB conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Millwall property lawyer is on the TSB conveyancing panel.

I'm buying my first flat in Millwall benefiting from help to buy. The developers would not reduce the price so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep told me not to tell my conveyancer about this side-deal as it may affect my loan with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

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 decided to have a survey carried out on a house in Millwall ahead of retaining lawyers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. The surveyor has said that some banks will not issue a loan on a flying freehold home.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different requirements from Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to telephone us we can investigate further with the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Millwall. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Millwall to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Millwall from the perspective of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Millwall can be reduced if you instruct lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ representatives.
You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable verify this via your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is under 75 years. In the circumstances it is important at an early stage that you consider whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale. Some Millwall leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers. If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should ensure that you are holding the original share document. Obtaining a new share certificate can be a lengthy formality and frustrates many a Millwall conveyancing deal. If a reissued share certificate is required, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (if relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.

We have reached the end of our tether in trying to reach an agreement for a lease extension in Millwall. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

if there is a missing landlord or if there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to decide the premium.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Millwall premises is 12, 14 & 16 Hull Close in May 2010. the Tribunal determined that the premium payable for the acquisition of the freehold to the subject premises was the sum of £18,300 This case affected 3 flats. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 101.61 years.