At what point can the exchange of contracts take place for residential conveyancing in Clapton and do I need to be at the solicitors branch?

Where you are local to our conveyancing solicitors in Clapton you are invited in to sign the paperwork. That being said, the law practices we recommend provide countrywide coverage for conveyancing and give as equally detailed and professional a job for you when dealing with you electronically. The executing of the contract is not the point of no return. Signing on the dotted line is necessary for the firm to exchange contracts at the suitable time, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The procedure is is usually a five minute process, although where a long "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Clapton)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

we are a couple who are hoping to buy a purpose built flat in Clapton with a mortgage from Alliance & Leicester .We use our Clapton conveyancing solicitor but Alliance & Leicester says her practice is not on their "panel". we are left little option but to use a Alliance & Leicester panel firm or retain our preferred solicitor and pay for a Alliance & Leicester panel lawyer to represent them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The home loan offered to you is subject to its various provisions, a common one being that solicitors needs to be on the Alliance & Leicester approved list. in the past, most banks had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Alliance & Leicester

My relative suggested that where I am buying in Clapton I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Clapton conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing important information about Clapton around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about Clapton.

It has been 4 months since my purchase conveyancing in Clapton took place. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £170,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the asset from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

What are your top tips when it comes to finding a Clapton conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Clapton conveyancing practice) it is essential that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you talk with several firms including non Clapton conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be helpful:

How experienced is the practice with lease extension legislation?

I am the proprietor of a first floor flat in Clapton. In the absence of agreement between myself and the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the amount due for the purchase of the freehold?

Where there is a absentee landlord or if there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the LVT to judgment on the sum to be paid.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Clapton property is 104 Nightingale Road in May 2009. The Tribunal's Decision is that the premium torbe paid for the enfranchisement in this case is £112,174 This case related to 10 flats. The unexpired lease term was 71.25 years.