I am helping my mother sell her property in Reigate. Will the solicitor commission the EPC or do I organise this?

Following the demise of Home Information Packs, energy performance certificates was left as a mandatory element of moving house. An energy performance certificate should be commissioned prior to the property being marketed. This is not as aspect of the sale process that law firms ordinarily organise. Where you are using a Reigate conveyancing lawyer they might be willing to arrange EPC’s due to their relationships with reputable Reigate assessors

We had selected conveyancing lawyers with offices in Reigate on the RBS solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me a further fee for handling the RBS mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by RBS?

As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your solicitor can levy a fee for this. This fee is not set by RBS but by your Reigate conveyancer. Plenty of firms on the RBS panel will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee but some practices include it on their overall fee.

We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from Leeds Building Society as we wish to carry out a loft conversion to our property in Reigate. Are we obliged to appoint a high street Reigate solicitor on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel to handle the paperwork?

Leeds Building Society would not normally instruct a member of their approved list of lawyers to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Leeds Building Society panel.

I purchased a terraced Victorian property in Reigate. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Bank of Ireland. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same property. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Reigate and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who carried out the work.

How does conveyancing in Reigate differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Reigate approach us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is completed. This is because new home sellers in Reigate 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 Reigate or who has acted in the same development.

Am I better off to go with a Reigate conveyancing lawyer who is local to the property I am hoping to buy? An old friend can deal with the legal work but her office is over three hundred miles drive away.

The primary upside of using a local Reigate conveyancing firm is that you can visit the firm to sign documents, hand in your identification documents and pester them if necessary. Having local Reigate know how is a plus. That being said it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If you know people who used your friend and on the whole were impressed that must surpass using an unknown Reigate conveyancing lawyer just because they are round the corner.

I previously advised by my mortgage company that their approved solicitors work on no sale no charge basis for conveyancing in Reigate. I had a purchase fall through yet the conveyancers have requested search fees! They are stating that the fees are nothing to do with their fees!

Reigate conveyancing search fees are disbursements not legal fees as these are paid to a third party.