We see that you have a post code search directory identifying firms on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a referral fee if I retain them for our own conveyancing in Camden?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Camden.
My property lawyer in Camden has never been on on the Bank of Ireland Approved Panel. Is it possible for me to retain my family solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the Bank of Ireland panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?
Your options are as follows:
- Complete the purchase with your preferred Camden solicitors but Bank of Ireland will need to retain a lawyer on their list of acceptable firms. This will inevitably rack up the overall conveyancing fees and result in frustration.
- Find an alternative lawyer to act in the conveyancing, obviously checking they are on the Bank of Ireland panel
Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unexperienced as a 1st time purchaser of a garden flat in Camden. Do I collect the keys to the premises on the completion date from my solicitor? If so, I will appoint a local conveyancing solicitor in Camden?
On the day of completion you do not need to attend the conveyancers office in Camden. Your solicitors will transfer the completion advance to the owner’s solicitors, and once they have received this, you should be able to receive the keys from the property Agents and move into your new home. This tends to happen early afternoon.
I had an offer accepted on a property in Camden on 6/3/2026, valuation was booked five days later, all came back fine. Property lawyer retained, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to RBS and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the RBS conveyancing panel. Are RBS entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for RBS to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the RBS conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I have instructed a Camden conveyancer having made sure that they are on the HSBC conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
HSBC will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually HSBC will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your conveyancer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Camden postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with HSBC, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Camden.
How does conveyancing in Camden differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Camden come to us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is built. This is because developers in Camden usually purchase the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Camden or who has acted in the same development.
I am looking for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in Camden I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 49 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Camden suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?
Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be an issue. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.
My fiance and I may need to sub-let our Camden garden flat for a while due to taking a sabbatical. We instructed a Camden conveyancing practice in 2002 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to get any advice as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?
Even though your previous Camden conveyancing lawyer is no longer available you can review your lease to see if it allows you to sublet the apartment. The accepted inference is that if the lease is silent, subletting is permitted. There may be a precondition that you need to seek consent from your landlord or other appropriate person in advance of subletting. The net result is you not allowed to sublet in the absence of first obtaining consent. Such consent should not be unreasonably turned down. If your lease does not allow you to sublet you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.
I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord to extend my lease without any joy. Can a leaseholder apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Camden conveyancing firm to act on my behalf?
in cases where there is a absentee freeholder or if there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant statutes you can apply to the LVT to make a decision on the price payable.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Camden flat is Flat 2 27 Mackeson Road in December 2012. The Tribunal assessed the value of the lease extension premium at £35,435 and rounded the figure to £35,500 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired term was 64.77 years.