This question may be naive but I am unexperienced as FTB of a ground floor flat in Birchgrove. Do I collect the keys to the house on completion from my conveyancer? If so, I will find a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Birchgrove?

On the day of completion you do not need to attend the conveyancers office in Birchgrove. Conveyancing lawyers for you will electronically transfer the completion advance to the owner’s conveyancers, and once they have received this, you will be called to collect the keys from the property Agents and move into your new home. Usually this occurs between 1 and 3pm.

My father pointed out to me me that in buying a property in Birchgrove there could be a number of restrictions preventing external alterations to the property. Is this right?

We are aware of a number of properties in Birchgrove which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to perform external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Birchgrove should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

is it true that all Birchgrove conveyancing solicitors on the UBS conveyancing panel are governed by the SRA?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the UBS conveyancing panel they would need to be governed by the SRA. The majority of mortgage companies do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such practice would be overseen by the CLC.

It has been 2 months since my purchase conveyancing in Birchgrove took place. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £215,000. 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 premises 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.

I'm buying a new build house in Birchgrove benefiting from help to buy. The builders refused to budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The sale representative suggested that I not disclose to my lawyer about the deal as it will impact my loan with Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

Am I best advised to use a Birchgrove conveyancing solicitor who is local to the property I am purchasing? An old friend can handle the conveyancing but her office is 300miles drive away.

The benefit of a high street Birchgrove conveyancing firm is that you can drop in to execute documents, deliver your ID and pester them where appropriate. Having local Birchgrove know how is a benefit. 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 they were impressed that must outweigh using an unknown Birchgrove conveyancing solicitor just because they are based in the area.

We expect to complete our sale of a £400,000 maisonette in Birchgrove next Tuesday. The landlords agents has quoted £324 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Birchgrove?

Birchgrove conveyancing on leasehold flats more often than not requires the buyer’s conveyancer sending questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to respond to these enquiries most will be content to do so. They are at liberty to invoice a reasonable administration fee for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some situations it is in excess of £800. The management information fee levied by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of rights and obligations in relation to administration fees, otherwise the charge is not strictly payable. Reality however dictates that you have no choice but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to exchange contracts with the buyer.

I am the registered owner of a 2 bed flat in Birchgrove, conveyancing having been completed in 2011. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Similar properties in Birchgrove with a long lease are worth £227,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 per annum. The lease ceases on 21st October 2096

With just 71 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £9,500 and £11,000 plus professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.