We had selected conveyancers locally in St James's on the Kent Reliance solicitor panel. They have just billed me a separate amount for the legal aspects of the Kent Reliance mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Kent Reliance?

Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your conveyancer may levy a fee for this. The fee is not dictated by Kent Reliance but by your St James's property lawyer. Plenty of firms on the Kent Reliance panel will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.

Can I be sure that the St James's conveyancing solicitor on the TSB panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in St James's getting recommendations is a sensible start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always recommend that you speak with the lawyer carrying out your conveyancing.

I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in November 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Clydesdale are being a right pain. The St James's solicitor who is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Clydesdale are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Clydesdale have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Clydesdale have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Clydesdale may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

I'm buying a new build house in St James's with the aid of help to buy. The builders refused to move on the price so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The sale representative told me not to tell my solicitor about the deal as it could affect my mortgage with Yorkshire Building Society. 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've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. St James's is the location of the property. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in St James's are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside St James's you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in St James's may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

How does the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my commercial premises in St James's and how can you help?

The 1954 Act provides security of tenure to business leaseholders, granting the a statutory right to make a request to court for a continuation of occupancy at the end of the lease term. There are certain specified grounds where a landlord can refuse a lease renewal and the rules are complicated. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. St James's is one of the hundreds of locations in which our lawyers are located

Is it best to use a St James's conveyancing solicitor in close proximity to the house I am hoping to buy? An old friend can handle the legal work however his firm is located 400miles away.

The benefit of a local St James's conveyancing practice is that you can visit the firm to execute documents, present your identification documents and apply pressure on them where appropriate. Having local St James's know how is a plus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If if people you trust instructed your friend and on the whole were content that must outweigh using an unknown St James's conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being based in the area.