We're in Lewisham, FTBs purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Nottingham , and our lawyer is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancing practitioner should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

Various web forums that I have come across warn that are the primary reason for delay in Lewisham conveyancing transactions. Is this right?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released conclusions of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature within the top 10 causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in Lewisham.

I have a renovated Georgian house in Lewisham. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Virgin Money. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the matching property. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You need to read 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 Lewisham and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who carried out the work.

Looking forward to exchange soon on a garden flat in Lewisham. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they are sending me a report on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Lewisham should include some of the following:

It needs to be made clear to you if the lease allows you to add or upgrade anything in the property- you must know whether it applies to all alterations or limited to structural alteration, and whether consent is required Your conveyancers should enable you to have an understanding of the insurance requirements What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease? Defining your rights in relation to the communal areas in the building.By way of example, does the lease provide for a right of way over an accessway or hallways?

We have reached the end of our tether in trying to purchase the freehold in Lewisham. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

Where there is a missing landlord or where there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant legislation it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to arrive at the sum to be paid.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Lewisham premises is 73 Walerand Road in August 2012. the result of the findings of the Tribunal led to a premium to be paid for the extended lease in respect of Flat 73 in the sum of £10,040. The premium applicable in respect of Flat 85 was £5,710. This case affected 2 flats. The remaining number of years on the lease was 72 years.

How and when do I cover the costs of stamp duty payable for my Lewisham property purchase?

The majority of conveyancers will complete a stamp duty return for you as part of your Lewisham conveyancing transaction for signature. On completion your conveyancing practitioner will submit your STL Return Form to the Tax Authorities and - assuming they have the funds - pay any tax bill liability on your behalf.