I am not well enough to travel far from Cranford. I would like to know the logic why all Cranford solicitors are not on all bank panels?

Lenders point to the fact that solicitor-led fraud is considered to be responsible for millions of pounds of fraud every year.The elimination of law firms from lender panels started with the rise in mortgage fraud, which prompted a thematic review by the FSA in 2011. Its outcome included recommendations for lending institutions to review their conveyancing panels, which kicked off a major policy change in the sector. This resulted in mortgage companies purging less reputable firms off their panel of approved conveyancers .

What is the first thing I need to know concerning purchase conveyancing in Cranford?

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Cranford or throughout England and Wales is an adversarial process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is plenty of room for friction between you and other parties involved in the legal transfer of property. For example, the vendor, estate agent and on occasion a lender. Choosing a solicitor for your conveyancing in Cranford is a critical decision as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the SOLE person in the legal process whose role it is to act in your best interests and to keep you safe.

There is a distinct ongoing adversarial element to conveyancing- someone must be blamed for the process taking so long. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties in the conveyancing process.

I used Action Conveyancing several years past for my conveyancing in Cranford. I now require my papers however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

Do call 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 Cranford of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I was pointed in your direction by a few selling agents in Cranford to choose a property lawyer on your site. What’s the financial upside for Estate Agents to promote your services over another?

We refuse to make any financial incentive for directing people in our direction. We thought it would be too underhand a fee because home movers will think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.

I am a negotiator for a long established estate agent office in Cranford where we have experienced a number of flat sales jeopardised due to short leases. I have received contradictory information from local Cranford conveyancing firms. Could you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can start the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer need not have to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

I am the proprietor of a a ground floor purpose built flat in Cranford. Given that I can not reach agreement with the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the amount due for the purchase of the freehold?

Most certainly. We can put you in touch with a Cranford conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Cranford residence is 164 Nestles Avenue in October 2013. The tribunal agreed with the proposed price of £20,158 for the freehold and determined that that sum is the amount to be paid into court This case affected 2 flats. The unexpired term was 69 years.