We are acquiring our first property. Our property lawyer has texted usto enquire if we want to order supplemental conveyancing searches. We are really unsure what's recommended for conveyancing in Battersea

The range of Battersea conveyancing searches should be dictated primarily on the property, the location, the possibility of any of these risks, your familiarity of the area and risks, your overall approach to risk. What matters is that you properly appreciate what information each search could provide. Then you can decide if you consider that you need that search. Should you be unsure, ask the conveyancer to explain.

Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Battersea. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?

Most banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.

I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Battersea. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £200. Soon after, the conveyancing practitioner contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Yorkshire BS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Bank of Ireland have agreed my home loan in principle, my offer on a property in Battersea has been agreed to, what happens next?

Your property agent will want to be advised as to your property lawyer's details (be sure the solicitors are on the lender’s panel). Call up Bank of Ireland or your broker and finish off any appropriate documentation. Bank of Ireland will instruct a valuer who will get in contact with the selling agent or seller to schedule an appointment. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes on average a fortnight for the mortgage offer to be issued. Bank of Ireland will send the offer to you and your property lawyers. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Battersea.

I purchased a semi-detached Victorian property in Battersea. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Barclays . I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the matching property. Is it worth asking Barclays to clarify?

You should assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Battersea and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.

My husband and I may need to let out our Battersea basement flat temporarily due to a career opportunity. We instructed a Battersea conveyancing practice in 2001 but they have since shut 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?

The lease dictates relations between the landlord and you the leaseholder; in particular, it will set out if subletting is banned, or permitted but only subject to certain conditions. The rule is that if the lease contains no expres ban or restriction, subletting is permitted. The majority of leases in Battersea do not contain an absolute prevention of subletting – such a provision would adversely affect the market value the property. In most cases there is a basic requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly sending a duplicate of the tenancy agreement.

I have given up trying to purchase the freehold in Battersea. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

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

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Battersea flat is 150A Albert Palace Mansions Lurline Gardens in July 2013. The Tribunal determined that the premium payable for the new lease of the subject property was £42,069 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 57.06 years.

Would local authority consent be needed to change a single dwelling into a couple of flats in Battersea? This has taken place to a house next door to my home in Battersea and was ignorant of the conversion until the works were finished.

Planning consent is required for converting a single dwelling in Battersea into flats but possibly not for reverting back to single dwelling-house so, in answer to your query, yes.