Find a Lender-Approved Local Conveyancer in West Smithfield

Ready to buy a new home? Find a law firm approved by your lender.

Follow your intuition—you will have a better move where you instruct a high street solicitor in West Smithfield

Main reasons to use our service to assist you select a local conveyancing solicitor in West Smithfield

  • 1 On the balance of probabilities the other side’s conveyancers have offices in West Smithfield - if so both parties are likely to be familiar
  • 2 West Smithfield conveyancers have a crucial edge when it comes to West Smithfield conveyancing as they have important local knowledge of local authority requirements, planning policies and other matters that will affect your sale or purchase
  • 3 West Smithfield conveyancer are the key to a successful West Smithfield home move, keeping the process under control. They are on your side throughout, offering dedicated advice for the duration of your transaction
  • 4 Experience means that West Smithfield solicitor have developed valuable working relationships with West Smithfield local estate agents, banks, building societies, landlords and house builders enabling them to liaise at speed with all parties involved in the process of undertaking your home move in West Smithfield.
  • 5 No matter what any alternative companies say it just might be necessary to pop into your lawyer to sign legal papers. There are various parties with with an interest in a homemove without having to add Royal Mail into the equation.

Examples of recent conveyancing in West Smithfield since November 2024*

Recently asked questions about conveyancing in West Smithfield

I am being advised by my solicitor that chancel insurance is required on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in West Smithfield?

The right level of chancel indemnity insurance depends on who your lender is. It would differ for example between Santander and The Royal Bank of Scotland. Conveyancing solicitors as opposed to members of the public take out such insurances.

When it comes to lenders such as RBS, do West Smithfield lawyers incur a fee to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are not aware of any bank fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

I am due to exchange contracts on my house. I had a double glazing fitted in April 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, HSBC are being problematic. The West Smithfield solicitor who is on the HSBC conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but HSBC are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do HSBC have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that HSBC have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why HSBC may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

What can a local search tell me regarding the house I am buying in West Smithfield?

West Smithfield conveyancing often commences with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search company for instance PSG The local search plays an important role in most West Smithfield conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any unpleasant surprises after you move into your new home. The search should reveal information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 topic areas.

I am purchasing my first flat in West Smithfield benefiting from help to buy. The sellers refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative advised me not inform my conveyancer about this extras as it may put at risk my mortgage with the lender. Is this normal?.

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.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in last month in what should have been a quick, chain free conveyancing. West Smithfield is where the house is located. Can you offer any guidance?

Flying freeholds in West Smithfield are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside West Smithfield you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in West Smithfield may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

I would like to rent out my leasehold apartment in West Smithfield. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Do I need to ask my freeholder for their consent?

Notwithstanding that your last West Smithfield conveyancing solicitor is no longer available you can review your lease to see if you are permitted to let out the property. The accepted inference is that if the deeds are non-specific, subletting is permitted. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you must obtain permission from your landlord or other appropriate person before subletting. The net result is that you cannot sublet without prior permission. The consent should not be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If the lease prohibits you from letting out the property you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

I am the leaseholder of a garden flat in West Smithfield. In the absence of agreement between myself and the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the sum payable for a lease extension?

Most certainly. We are happy to put you in touch with a West Smithfield conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a West Smithfield flat is Flat 89 Trinity Court Grays Inn Road in February 2013. the Tribunal found that the premium to be paid by the tenant on the grant of a new lease, in accordance with section 56 and Schedule 13 to the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 should be £36,229. This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired term was 66.8 years.

My wife and I are buying a ground floor flat in West Smithfield. At the time of instructing our conveyancer, they said that they were on all mainstream lender panels. Our mortgage broker emailed just now to say that they don't seem to be on the RBS approved list. Were it to be true, what should we do? Should we simply choose a different conveyancing practitioner that is on their panel or should we cover the costs for dual representation, with RBS selecting their own approved conveyancing practitioner.

When buying a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is standard for the purchaser’s solicitors to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a lawyer has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the property lawyer to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict conditions which the conveyancer has to fulfill. Some banks now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should call RBS to find out if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on RBS's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own West Smithfield solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another solicitor into the equation.

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Sample of conveyancing solicitors in West Smithfield regulated by the SRA

It is important to note that the listed firms do not limit their work for conveyancing in West Smithfield but also conveyancing throughout England and Wales.

  • Vlcw Limited, Warwick House, 64-65 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6EG
  • Chan Neill Solicitors, 107 Charterhouse Street, London, EC1M 6HW
  • Abrahams Dresden Llp, 111 Charterhouse Street, London, EC1M 6AW
  • Hogan Lovells International Llp, Atlantic House, Holborn Viaduct, London, EC1A 2FG
  • H.k.h Kenwright & Cox, 15 Old Bailey, London, EC4M 7EF

Commercial Conveyancing solicitors in West Smithfield regulated by the SRA

The list below is a small selection of solicitors in West Smithfield practicing in commercial conveyancing in West Smithfield. This could include advice on granting a lease to a commercial tenant
  • Candey Parker Legal Services Limited, Thomas Ford House, 23-24 Smithfield Street, London, EC1A 9LF
  • Vlcw Limited, Warwick House, 64-65 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6EG
  • Chan Neill Solicitors, 107 Charterhouse Street, London, EC1M 6HW
  • Abrahams Dresden Llp, 111 Charterhouse Street, London, EC1M 6AW
  • Hogan Lovells (hong Kong) (no 2) Llp, Atlantic House, Holborn Viaduct, London, EC1A 2FG

Domestic Licensed Conveyancers in West Smithfield regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers

Please note that the listed conveyancers do not limit their work for conveyancing in West Smithfield but also conveyancing throughout England and Wales.
  • Stratega Law Ltd, Sutherland House, W1F 7TE
  • T J Ball & Company, 49 Leytonstone Road, E15 1JA
  • Walter Saunders, 382 Brockley Road, SE4 2BY

*Source acknowledgement: House price data produced by Land Registry as well data supplied by Lexsure Ltd.

© Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of Land Registry under delegated authority from the Controller of HMSO.