Just been in touch with my conveyancing lawyer in St Luke's who completed the legal work two years ago and wanted a conveyancing quote based on an identical type of house sale & purchase (a leasehold premises and a freehold premises) of almost identical values with a mortgage from The Mortgage Works. I am now being quoted double. Stick with what I know or should I try and find a cheaper online property lawyer?

The estimate does seem a tad overpriced. If you shop around you may be able to reduce the fees slightly by as much as £100 plus VAT. On the other hand, assuming were pleased with the assistance the firm gave you couldlive to rue opting for an an unknown conveyancer. Remember to be sure the conveyancer can act for The Mortgage Works. Do employ our search tool to locate a St Luke's conveyancing firm on the The Mortgage Works approved list of lawyers, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in St Luke's.

Do all mortgage companies provide you with an approved list of St Luke's conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel?

St Luke's conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Clydesdale directly.

My wife and I are buying a property in St Luke's. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a conveyancer? On completion day we have to put funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our monies?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

My wife and I are in the throws of viewing flats in St Luke's and I am about to put in an offer. Is it advisable to have a property lawyer on ‘stand by’? I am planning to take a home loan with TSB.

It would be advisable to commence your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the selling agent. As you are taking out a mortgage with TSB, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the TSB conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in St Luke's. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

Most lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.

My husband and I are first time buyers - had an offer accepted, but the estate agent has warned us that the owners will only go ahead if we use their chosen solicitors as they want a ‘quick sale’. Our preferred option is to instruct a family conveyancer accustomed to conveyancing in St Luke's

It is unlikely the sellers are behind this. Should the vendor require ‘a quick sale', alienating a motivated purchaser is not the way to achieve this. Speak to the owners direct and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you do not need to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you will continue to appoint your preferred St Luke's conveyancing firm - not the ones that will earn their negotiator at the agency a referral fee or achieve conveyancing targets pre-set by head office.

I am hoping to complete next month on a basement flat in St Luke's. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they report fully tomorrow. What should I be looking out for?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in St Luke's should include some of the following:

Who has the liability for repairing the window frames Rent payments - what is due and when you need to pay, and be on notice if this is subject to change if lease provides for a sinking account for major repairs? What you can do if an adjoining owner is in violation of a provision in their lease?

I own a basement flat in St Luke's. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the amount payable for the purchase of the freehold?

in cases where there is a absentee landlord or where there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant legislation it is possible to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to judgment on the premium.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a St Luke's flat is 137 & 139 Haberdasher Street in December 2013. The Tribunal determines in accordance with section 48 and Schedule 13 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 that the premium for the extended lease for each Property should be £12,350.00. This case affected 2 flats. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 72.39 years.