I have given 2 months notice to my existing landlord and have to be out of my rented apartment in Southampton by . Conveyancing on my purchase has just started. How realistic is it to complete in a couple of weeks as don't want to have to move into short term accommodation?

The normal practice is not to serve notice for your letting until exchange of contracts has taken place. Assuming that you have not previously done so, update to your lawyer and request that they cajole the other solicitors, try to a target completion date that all parties will look towards

Having sold my house in Southampton last January yet the purchaser is Skype messaging daily complaining that their solicitor needs to hear from myconveyancer. What should my lawyer have done now that I have sold?

Following your sale your lawyer is committed to send the transfer documentation and all of the paperwork to the purchaser's conveyancer. Depending on the transaction, your conveyancer should also confirm that the legal charge in favour of the lender has been discharged to the buyers lawyers. There are no post completion requirements unique to conveyancing in Southampton.

My house in Southampton is up for sale and I have a purchaser. Will my need to be required to be on the conveyancing panel in order to deal with redeeming my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently currently.

I have been told that property searches are the primary reason for stalling in Southampton house deals. Is that correct?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the determinations of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the top 10 causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are not likely to be the root cause of slowing down conveyancing in Southampton.

My wife and I are FTB’s just having agreed a price on a property in Southampton, and are now looking to get solicitors lined up. I have utilised the various rating tools and the fee estimates are from all across the country. Is it advisable to have a Southampton local to the prospective house? I am fine to do everything electronically, but I am thinking at some stage we may be required to physically go into the 's office to sign papers?

The does not have to be in Southampton, but choosing local means that you can go in if required, by way of example, if a signature is needed urgently. Furthermore, a Southampton solicitor have established relationships with local agents and (if the vendor has instructed a local ) with them, which will help keep things moving faster.