I am progressing with the sale of my house in Kingston upon Thames and the EA has just telephoned to advise that the buyers are changing their property lawyer. The excuse is that the lender will only deal with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a major mortgage company only engage with specific law firms rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Kingston upon Thames ?
Lenders have always had panels of law firms that can act for them, but in the past few years big names such as Santander, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for over 25 years.
Mortgage companies blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.
I am buying a house without a mortgage in Kingston upon Thames. I have resided for the previous 20 years in Kingston upon Thames. Conveyancing searches are expensive. As I have knowledge of the area and road very well must I have all the conveyancing searches?
In the absence of a mortgage, then all but one or two of the Kingston upon Thames conveyancing searches are non-obligatory. Your conveyancer will try and steer you, no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches carried out, but she is duty bound to do this. One thing to bear in mind; if you are intend to dispose of the house in the future, it will be of importance to your prospective buyer what the searches contain. There are plenty of instances where premises with apparent issues can still reveal detrimental search results. A competent conveyancing solicitor in Kingston upon Thames will provide you some practical guidance concerning this.
About to purchase a new build apartment in Kingston upon Thames. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build conveyancing.
Set out below are examples of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Kingston upon Thames
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Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified. Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal.
In searching the world wide web for the term on line conveyancing in Kingston upon Thames it reveals numerous conveyancersin the vicinity. How do I determine which is the suitable conveyancing solicitor for purchase transaction?
The best way of choosing a suitable conveyancer is via personal recommendation, so enquire of colleagues and family who have acquired a property in Kingston upon Thames or a local estate agent or mortgage broker. Charges for conveyancing in Kingston upon Thames differ, so it's advisable to obtain a minimum of three estimates from different conveyancers. Make sure that you know that the charges are assured not to increase.
Harry (my fiance) and I may need to sub-let our Kingston upon Thames 1st floor flat for a while due to a new job. We used a Kingston upon Thames conveyancing practice in 2002 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to get any guidance as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?
Even though your last Kingston upon Thames conveyancing lawyer is not around you can check your lease to see if you are permitted to let out the premises. The rule is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is allowed. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you need to obtain permission from your landlord or some other party prior to subletting. This means that you cannot sublet without first obtaining permission. Such consent must not not be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If the lease does not allow you to sublet you should ask your landlord for their consent.
Despite our best efforts, we have been unsuccessful in trying to purchase the freehold in Kingston upon Thames. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?
You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Kingston upon Thames conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Kingston upon Thames residence is Flat D 15 Claremont Gardens in September 2013. TheTribunal determined in accordance with section48 and Schedule13 of the Leasehold Reform,Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 that the premium for the extended lease should be fourteen thousand one hundred and eighty seven pounds (£14,187.00) This case was in relation to 1 flat.
We have just become aware that one of the directors of the conveyancing practice acting on the purchase conveyancing in Kingston upon Thames is an aunty of the seller. Is this permitted?
Provided no conflict arises this should be fine. Where you are obtaining mortgage finance then the bank may have a say as many mortgage companies have specific requirements on this. For example for Royal Bank of Scotland as of 16/2/2026, the requirements read as follows :