We had chosen conveyancers with offices in Kingston upon Thames on the Lloyds solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a separate charge for handling the Lloyds mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Lloyds?

Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your conveyancing practitioner is entitled to levy a fee for this. The fee is not dictated by Lloyds but by your Kingston upon Thames solicitor. Plenty of firms on the Lloyds panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some practices incorporate it on their overall fee.

The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Kingston upon Thames. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.

Planning on purchasing a house in Kingston upon Thames. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the HSBC conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Kingston upon Thames lawyer is on the HSBC conveyancing panel.

Just had an offer accepted on a new build apartment in Kingston upon Thames. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Here are examples of a few leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Kingston upon Thames

Please supply a car parking plan. The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme. Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified. Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company?

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £305k and identified one close by in Kingston upon Thames I like with open areas and station nearby, the downside is that it's only got 61 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Kingston upon Thames in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?

If you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be problematic. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.

What does commercial conveyancing in Kingston upon Thames cover?

Non domestic conveyancing in Kingston upon Thames incorporates a wide array of guidance, offered by qualified solicitors, relating to business property. For example, this area of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more commonly, the transfer of existing leases or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial loans and the termination of leases.

I today plan to offer on a house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have since been informed that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a leasehold house in Kingston upon Thames. Conveyancing advisers have are about to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Kingston upon Thames ?

Most houses in Kingston upon Thames are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Kingston upon Thames in which case you should be shopping around for a Kingston upon Thames conveyancing practitioner and check that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the freeholder’spermission to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the property is located on an estate. Your solicitor should report to you on the legal implications.