At what point does exchange of contracts occur in sale conveyancing in Avery Hill and do I need to be at the solicitors branch?

Where you are local to our conveyancing solicitors in Avery Hill you are invited in to sign the paperwork. However, the firms we recommend supply countrywide coverage for conveyancing and give just as diligent and professional a job for you when communicating with you digitally. The executing of the property agreement is not the important part. Signing on the dotted line simply enables the conveyancer to exchange contracts when the time is right, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The exchange process is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where a lengthy "chain" is involved, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Avery Hill)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

I have 71 years left on my lease and need a lease extension for my apartment in Avery Hill. Conveyancing solicitors on the Virgin panel can deal with such extensions correct?

Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are obtaining a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Virgin have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 31/12/2025 the requirements read as follows :

is it true that all Avery Hill solicitor practices on the Lloyds conveyancing panel are overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Lloyds conveyancing panel they would need to be overseen by the SRA. Some mortgage companies do list licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be regulated by the CLC.

We had selected conveyancers based in Avery Hill on the TSB solicitor approved list. They have just billed me a supplemental charge for the legal aspects of the TSB mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by TSB?

Provided it is contained in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your conveyancer can levy a fee for this. This fee is not set by TSB but by your Avery Hill conveyancing practitioner. Some firms on the TSB panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some firms incorporate it on their overall fee.

I have paid off my mortgage with Clydesdale. I assume I don't need a Avery Hill property lawyer on the Clydesdale panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Clydesdale mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Clydesdale mortgage from the register. Clydesdale, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Clydesdale has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Clydesdale has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I only have 62 years unexpired on my lease in Avery Hill. I need to get lease extension but my freeholder is missing. What are my options?

On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to find the landlord. On the whole a specialist may be useful to conduct investigations and to produce an expert document which can be used as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor both on proving the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Avery Hill.

I am the proprietor of a two-bedroom flat in Avery Hill. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the amount due for a lease extension?

in cases where there is a missing landlord or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to judgment on the amount due.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Avery Hill premises is 103a Footscray Road in January 2014. The tribunal determines that the premium payable for the extended lease should be £34,500 according to the expert witness valuation calculation This case related to 1 flat.

What is the reason for my solicitor requiring numerous items of identification ahead of starting my conveyancing in Avery Hill?

Avery Hill conveyancing practitioners are obliged by the Law Society, Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Land Registry and current Money Laundering Regulations to certify that the have verified the identity of their clients. It is also sometimes a condition of your bank if you are obtaining a mortgage. Furthermore they have to complete various forms, particularly those relating to SDLT and need to have information such as your full names, national insurance number and date of birth.