At long last a mortgage offer from HSBC for the refinancing of my 2 bedroom maisonette is coming within the next few days. Are you able to propose a cheap conveyancing practitioner in South West London?
This site is not designed to help those in pursuit of the cheapest conveyancing in South West London. Our intention is to offer excellent value conveyancing but our intention is not to advertise as being the cheapest. Avoid the trap of appointing companies teasing you with £100 conveyancing in South West London. In your best case scenario, in deciding on cheap conveyancing, you will get your money’s worth and at worst it will result in you invoiced for extras and still not end up with the service you were looking for.
We are planning to buy with Darlington Building Society. We have called around locally but am unable to find a South West London conveyancing firm on the Darlington Building Society approved list. Can you help?
You should make use of the find a conveyancing panel solicitor tool on this site. Please choose the building society and type South West London or your preferred area and you will see numerous conveyancers based in South West London or by proximity to you.
Various internet forums that I have visited warn that are a common reason for stalling in South West London house deals. Is this right?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the top 10 causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in South West London.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and found one close by in South West London I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, however it's only got 61 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in South West London for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?
If you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be problematic. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you may ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this.
Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in South West London from the perspective of expediting the sale process?
- Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in South West London can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ lawyers. If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in South West London state that internal structural changes or addition of wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord consenting to such works. Where you dont have the paperwork in place do not contact the landlord without contacting your conveyancer in advance. If you have had conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a property where there is a current dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved. The majority of freeholders or managing agents in South West London levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in South West London.
I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord for a lease extension without success. Can one make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a South West London conveyancing firm to assist?
if there is a absentee freeholder or if there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to assess the price payable.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a South West London flat is 78 & 80 Newport Road in January 2013. the Tribunal concluded that the premium to be paid by the leaseholder in respect of the freehold reversion is £23,105 This case related to 2 flats. The remaining number of years on the lease was 71.63 years.
Builders have recommended to me a conveyancing practitioner and I've sought a quote from them. It's almost £300 less expensive than my local South West London solicitor. Should I use them?
Housebuilders frequently have lists of lawyers who are quick and who know the developer’s contract and solicitor. Plenty of developers offer an incentive to use their approved conveyancing practitioner for this reason, any increased charges can be avoided and a developer will not suggest a conveyancing factory and run the risk of having the conveyancing stall when they want exchange inside a month. A counter-argument for not opting for the recommended solicitor is that they may prove hesitant to fight for your interests for fear of upsetting the sellers. If you worry that this may be the situation you should stick with your local South West London property lawyer.