Recently contacted my conveyancing solicitor in Tadworth who acted for me two years ago asking for a conveyancing estimate based on an identical type of house sale & purchase (a leasehold premises and a freehold property) of almost identical values with a loan from The Mortgage Works. I am now being quoted double. Should I hunt for a cheaper internet property lawyer?

The charges seem a little high. If you you were to look around you could decrease the fees marginally by say £100 plus VAT. That being said, providing that you were satisfied with the legal work the firm provided you maycome to regret choosing an a cheaper solicitor. Don't forget to ensure the solicitor can represent The Mortgage Works. Do employ our search tool to select a Tadworth conveyancing firm on the The Mortgage Works approved list of lawyers, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Tadworth.

Please help. My Tadworth conveyancer is informing me me that she is duty bound toorder Tadworth conveyancing searches becausethe firm are on the Virgin Moneyconveyancing panel. Is my conveyancer right?

You have limited options available to you. Given that you are taking out a loan with a mortgage company your conveyancer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your solicitor would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your lender’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the CML Handbook provisions . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Tadworth conveyancing searches.

Can you explain why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Tadworth costs more?

In short, leasehold conveyancing in Tadworth and Surrey usually involve additional due diligence compared to freehold transactions. This includes lease investigation, corresponding with the landlord about the service of appropriate notices, securing current service charge and management information, obtaining the landlord’s consents and reviewing management accounts. The obligations on both the landlord and the tenant in the lease need to be studied by the buyer’s conveyancing team and read from beginning to end – no matter how many different leaseholders have owned the lease since it was first granted.

We're first time buyers - had an offer accepted, but the property agent informed us that the seller will only move forward if we use the agent's recommended solicitors as they are insisting on a ‘quick sale’. My instinct tells me that we should use a high street solicitor accustomed to conveyancing in Tadworth

We suspect that the seller is unaware of this request. Should the owner require ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a genuine purchaser is is going to put the whole deal at risk. Try to communicate with the vendors directly and explain that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to progress, with finances in place © you are chain free (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you intend to appoint your own,trusted Tadworth conveyancing firm - as opposed tothose that will provide their estate agent a referral fee or meet his conveyancing figures set by head office.

I today plan to offer on a house that appears to meet my requirements, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have since been informed that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Tadworth. Conveyancing solicitors have not yet been appointed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Tadworth are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Tadworth in which case you should be shopping around for a Tadworth conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions for example requiring the landlord’spermission to carry out changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your lawyer will report to you on the legal implications.

I own a first flat in Tadworth. In the absence of agreement between myself and the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the sum due for the purchase of the freehold?

in cases where there is a absentee freeholder or where there is dispute 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 arrive at the price payable.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Tadworth property is 33 The Maisonettes Alberta Avenue in June 2014. the Tribunal decided that the premium payable for the grant of a new lease be the sum of £20,680 (Twenty Thousand six hundred and eighty pounds). This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired term was 60.43 years.