I am buying a newly built flat in Southfields and my conveyancer is telling me that she has to the lender to disclose incentives from the seller. The Estate Agents are hassling me to exchange contracts and I have no desire to prolong matters. Is my lawyer right?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your conveyancing practitioner. A precondition to being on a lender panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

Finally the sale completed on my house in Southfields last May but the buyer keeps telephoning every few hours complaining that his solicitor is waiting to hear from mylawyer. What are the post completion sale legalities now that I have sold?

Post completion of your sale your lawyer should forward the transfer deeds and all of the paperwork to the buyer’s conveyancer. Depending on the transaction, your solicitor should also send confirmation that the mortgage has been redeemed to the buyers conveyancers. There is unlikely to be post completion procedures just for conveyancing in Southfields.

I am purchasing a right to buy a flat in Southfields. Can I do my own conveyancing?

Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing in Southfields you will have to appoint a solicitor on your lender's conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to be made in you doing conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on your lender panel in Southfields.

I am selling my house. My past lawyers have shut. I am in need of a recommendation of a conveyancing firm. I happen to live in Southfields if that makes things easier.

You should use our search tool to help you choose a solicitor for your conveyancing in Southfields. We have connected thousands of home buyers and sellers with lender approved solicitors to ensure that the legalities of their house move goes with a minimum of fuss.

I am the proprietor of a first flat in Southfields. In the absence of agreement between myself and the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the sum due for a lease extension?

in cases where there is a absentee freeholder or where there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to determine the sum to be paid.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Southfields property is 83 Balvernie Grove in February 2012. The Tribunal assessed the price to be paid by the leaseholder to the freeholder for the lease extension pursuant to section 48 of the Leasehold Reform Housing & Urban Development Act 1993 should be£16,603.00 This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 69.32 years.

What makes a Southfields lease problematic?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Southfields. Most leases are drafted differently and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain provisions are not included. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

A provision to repair to or maintain elements of the building Insurance obligations

A defective lease will likely cause issues when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Accord Mortgages Ltd, The Mortgage Works, and Aldermore all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is problematic they may refuse to provide security, forcing the purchaser to withdraw.