It is a dozen years since I bought my house in South Woodford. Conveyancing lawyers have now been appointed on the sale but I am unable to track down my deeds. Is this a major issue?

You need not be too concerned. First there is a chance that the deeds will be kept by the lender or they may be in the possession of the conveyancers who acted in the purchase. Secondly the chances are that the land will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers acquiring current official copies of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in South Woodford relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is not registered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.

This question may be naive but I am wet behind the ears as FTB of a ground floor flat in South Woodford. Do I collect the keys to the house on the completion date from my lawyer? If this is the case, I will use a High Street conveyancing solicitor in South Woodford?

On the day of completion you do not need to attend the conveyancers office in South Woodford. Conveyancing lawyers for you will electronically transfer the purchase money to the owner’s solicitors, and once they have received this, you should be called to receive the keys from the Estate Agents and move into your new home. This tends to happen between 1 and 3pm.

How can we know in advance if a South Woodford conveyancing solicitor on the Co-operative panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in South Woodford getting recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always advocate that you speak with the solicitor handling your conveyancing.

Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in South Woodford. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I would like to complain about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?

All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.

I used Wolstenholmes a few years ago for my conveyancing in South Woodford. I now require my papers however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in South Woodford of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a South Woodford conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a South Woodford conveyancing firm) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you make enquires with several firms including non South Woodford conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions might be useful:

Can they put you in touch with clients in South Woodford who can give a testimonial?

After years of dialogue we are unable to agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in South Woodford. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

if there is a missing freeholder or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant statutes you can apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to calculate the price.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a South Woodford flat is 135 Maybank Road in January 2013. The Tribunal determined that the price to be paid by the tenants for the grant of a new lease is £10,592 This case affected 1 flat. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 71.2 years.

My partner and I plan to acquire our 1st property in South Woodford. Conveyancing solicitor has been instructed. The mortgage adviser advised that a survey is not needed as the property was only constructed twenty two years ago.

At the very least you should order a Home Buyer's Report. Given the residence is more than ten years old the property will not come with a warranty, so you don't want to take a risk. Where a property of this age shows no signs of problems a Home Buyer's report could suffice. The report should highlight any obvious problems and recommend further investigation if appropriate. Where there are any indications of material issues obtain a comprehensive structural survey.