I am assisting my aunt sell her flat in Thamesmead. Will the conveyancing solicitor arrange an EPC or do I organise this?

After the abolition of Home Packs, energy assessments was left as a required part of moving house. An EPC should be commissioned in advance of the property being marketed. This is not as aspect of the sale process that solicitors normally organise. If you are using a Thamesmead conveyancing solicitor they might be willing to arrange energy performance certificates given their relationships with reputable local energy assessors

Virgin Money have agreed my mortgage in principle, my bid on a apartment in Thamesmead has been agreed to, what are the next steps?

Your estate agent will wish to know who your solicitors are (be sure the property lawyers are on the lender’s approved list). Contact Virgin Money or the financial adviser and finish off any outstanding paperwork. Virgin Money will appoint a valuer who will get in touch with the selling agent or vendor to arrange a time for the valuation to happen. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes on average a week for the mortgage offer to be issued. Virgin Money will send the offer to you and your lawyers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Thamesmead.

At last I have had an offer on an apartment in Thamesmead agreed to, the vendors do nevertheless have a connected purchase. The sellers have placed an offer on a flat, however it’s not been accepted yet, and are looking at other properties booked. I have chosen a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Thamesmead. What should be my next step? At what stage do I apply for the mortgage with TSB?

It is normal to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (home loan application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then survey, Thamesmead conveyancing search charges, etc). The first thing to do is check that your property lawyer is on the TSB conveyancing panel. As to the next stages this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, attraction to this property and on the state of the market. During a rising market the majority of home buyers would apply for the mortgage with TSB and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they ask their conveyancer to proceed with searches.

I need some quick conveyancing in Thamesmead as I am faced with pressure to complete inside 4 weeks. Thankfully I do not need a mortgage. Can I decline from having conveyancing searches to save money and time?

If.Given you are not getting a mortgage you have the choice not to do searches although no law firm would suggest that you don't. With lots of history conveyancing in Thamesmead the following are examples of issues that can arise and therefore affect future saleability: Enforcement Actions, Overdue Fees, Outstanding Grants, Railway Schemes,...

I moved into my apartment on 5 July and my personal details are still not registered. Need I be worried? My conveyancing solicitor in Thamesmead said it should be registered in less than a month. Are properties in Thamesmead particularly slow to register?

There is nothing unique about conveyancing in Thamesmead registration formalities. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can differ depending on the party submitting the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry communicate with any 3rd persons or bodies. At present in the region of three quarters of such applications are completed in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be protracted delays. Historically registration is effected after the new owner is living at the property therefore registration formalities is not always an essential issue yet if it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your conveyancer must contact the land registry and explain the circumstances.

I am buying a new build house in Thamesmead with a loan from The Royal Bank of Scotland. The sellers would not budge the amount so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The sale representative told me not inform my conveyancer about the deal as it would impact my mortgage with the bank. 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 was pointed in your direction by a number of selling agents in Thamesmead to select a conveyancer using your seach tool. Is there a financial advantage for Estate Agents to offer your services rather than alternative conveyancing organisations?

We don’t make any commission for sending work our way. We found it would be just too difficult to pay a commission as members of the public would think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.