Just been in touch with my conveyancing lawyer in Gravesend who conducted the legals 18 months ago requesting a conveyancing estimate based on the same type of house move (a leasehold residence and a freehold premises) of similar values with a mortgage from Chelsea Building Society. I am now being quoted double. Am I right to be tempted to shop around for a cheaper online firm of conveyancing solicitor?

The estimate fees are a bit high. If you you were to look around you might trim some of the cost by perhaps £100 plus VAT. That being said, assuming were pleased with the service the firm provided you maylive to rue choosing an an untested lawyer. Don't forget to check the firm can act for Chelsea Building Society. Do employ our search tool to choose a Gravesend conveyancing firm on the Chelsea Building Society member panel, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Gravesend.

Do the conveyancing lawyers Indexed on your site execute auction conveyancing in Gravesend?

There are a few niche practitioners we can connect you with those who can conduct auction conveyancing. Gravesend is one of our areas of where our lawyers have offices.

Do I need to pop into the offices of the solicitor to sign the mortgage deed? If so, I will appoint a lawyer who conducts conveyancing in Gravesend so that I can attend their offices when needed.

As opposed to 12 years ago, the vast majority banks no longer oblige their conveyancing panel lawyer to witness the mortgagors signature. It will still be necessary for you to hand over identification documents and there are still distinct advantages to using a locally based ayer, in your case a conveyancing solicitor in Gravesend.

I am employed by a long established estate agent office in Gravesend where we have experienced a number of leasehold sales derailed due to short leases. I have been given conflicting advice from local Gravesend conveyancing solicitors. Please can you confirm whether the owner of a flat can initiate the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer can avoid having to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, 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 buyer.

I purchased a basement flat in Gravesend, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Comparable properties in Gravesend with over 90 years remaining are worth £179,000. The ground rent is £65 yearly. The lease runs out on 21st October 2083

With 57 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £26,600 and £30,800 plus costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

My wife and I are acquiring a studio flat in Gravesend. At the point of instructing our conveyancer, they said that they were on all major UK mortgage company panels. The financial adviser called just now to advise that they don't appear to be on the Lloyds approved list. If it turns out to be true, what should we do? Should we just find a new lawyer that is on their panel or do we cover the costs for dual representation, with Lloyds selecting their own approved property lawyer.

When buying a property with mortgage finance it is normal for the purchaser’s lawyers to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a conveyancer has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the conveyancing practitioner to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict conditions which the solicitor has to satisfy. Some building societies now require their panel firms to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your conveyancer should contact Lloyds to discover if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on Lloyds's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Gravesend solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another conveyancer into the mix.