I require conveyancing for an apartment in a relatively new development (seven years old) in Fulham. Almost all the flats have already been disposed of. Is it really necessary to order neighbourhood searches for my conveyancing in Fulham?

You would be putting yourself at risk in refusing to carrying out Fulham conveyancing searches. Without searches you have no clarity over flooding, environmental etc which may mean you walk away due to potential problems down the line. If you are buying mortgage free there is no legal necessity to have them, but we would absolutely advise in no uncertain terms that you have them. If time pressures and driving down costs are top of your concerns you should discuss with your solicitor about the option of search insurance

It is 10 years ago since I purchased my house in Fulham. Conveyancing solicitors have now been appointed on the sale but I am unable to locate the title deeds. Is this a major issue?

You need not be too concerned. First the deeds may be with your lender or they could still be with the lawyers who acted in the purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Fulham relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Aldermore. I assume I don't need a Fulham property lawyer on the Aldermore panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Aldermore 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 Aldermore mortgage from the register. Aldermore, 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 Aldermore has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Aldermore has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I currently have a mortgage with Nationwide for my property in Fulham. Conveyancing has been completed 12 months ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Nationwide?

Nationwide must be informed of your intention prior to letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Nationwide’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Nationwide directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Nationwide conveyancing panel firm.

I can not fathom if my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called into my local Fulham bank branch on a couple of occasions and was informed it wasn't an issue and they will lend. My Fulham conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- called and was told they will not lend based on their specific requirements. I have no idea who is right.

As long as the property lawyer is on the mortgage company approved list, she or he must adhere to the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook specifications for the lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the lender will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

Me and my brother own a renovated Georgian property in Fulham. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Santander. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Fulham and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing practitioner who completed the work.

I'm converting the mortgage on my current house to a buy to let loan with Nationwide Building Society and I will use the ballance of the raised equity towards another property. The neighborhood we are looking at is Fulham. Will your solicitors be able to act for the two lenders and link together the conveyances?

Do use our search tool on this page to ensure that the conveyancers are approved by both banks. On the basis that they are your lawyer should be able to tie up the two conveyancing matters but you should have a chat with you conveyancer and specify your desired outcome and requirements.