Can you suggest a National Westminster Bank allowed Croydon conveyancing practice who can have us moved in within under 3 weeks? Am I best advised to choose a high street Croydon solicitor or a web based conveyancer?

We would be happy to suggest some excellent Croydon conveyancing firms. Another option is to visit the high street in Croydon. Approach two or three law practices and ask to see a conveyancing solicitor for a quote. Discuss your expectations together with the reasons and ask for a commitment on speed. Choose the lawyer that you are most comfortable with.

I own a semi-detached Edwardian house in Croydon. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Barnsley Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same property. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You need to review 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 owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Croydon and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing practitioner who carried out the work.

We're FTB’s - had an offer accepted, yet the selling agent informed us that the vendor will only proceed if we use the agent's preferred solicitors as they want a ‘quick sale’. My instinct tells me that we should use a high street conveyancer accustomed to conveyancing in Croydon

It is improbable the owners are driving this. If they desire ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a genuine buyer is counter productive. Try to communicate with the sellers directly and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to progress, with finances arranged © you have nothing to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you are going to appoint your preferred Croydon conveyancing lawyers - not the ones that will give the negotiator at the agency a referral fee or meet his conveyancing figures pre-set by head office.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Croydon with the aim of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Croydon can be reduced where you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the buyers’ lawyers.
You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable double-check by asking your conveyancers. A buyer’s lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to to exchange contracts if the remaining number of years is below 80 years. It is therefore essential at an early stage that you identify whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale. The majority of freeholders or Management Companies in Croydon charge for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Croydon. If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s approval? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Croydon leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord consenting to such alterations. Where you dont have the paperwork in place you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your lawyer in advance.

Having spent months of dialogue we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Croydon. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

if there is a absentee freeholder or where there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant statutes it is possible to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to decide the price payable.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Croydon premises is 29 Woodstock Road in April 2014. the Tribunal determined that the premiums to be paid into court in respect of the purchase of the freehold registered at HMLR under Title N0.SY3997 should be £7,217. This case was in relation to 4 flats. The unexpired term was 98 years.

I have noted on a number of online forums that when selecting a conveyancing firm they need approved by your lender. I am a FTB but I have an offer in principle from Nat West Bank and I already have a bricks and morter conveyancing solicitor in Croydon in place. Does Nat West Bank require an approved lawyer to be selected? Does a list of approved solicitors even exist so I can choose a conveyancing solicitor in Croydon?

You should choose a solicitor that is on the Nat West Bank panel. Simply telephone your preferred Croydon conveyancing lawyer to check if they are on the Nat West Bank panel. If they are not on the panel you have a couple of options open to you here:

• Proceed with your chosen Croydon property lawyer but Nat West Bank will undoubtedly retain a lawyer on their conveyancing panel. This will result in additional fees together with likely interruption.
• Get a fresh property lawyer to conduct the conveyancing, ensuring that they are on the Nat West Bank conveyancing panel.
• Convince your conveyancing practitioner to pull out all the stops to get listed on the Nat West Bank conveyancing panel.