All was ready to complete my purchase in London next Friday. I have now been asked to send a copy of my building insurance schedule by my solicitor as he says that he has to check this in his capacity as lawyer for the mortgage company. What does the insurance need to cover?

Any lawyer on acting for banks would need to check that the following risks are covered fire; lightning; aircraft; explosion; earthquake; storm; flood; escape of water or oil; riot; malicious damage; theft or attempted theft; falling trees and branches and aerials; subsidence; heave;landslip;collision;accidental damage to underground services;professional fees, demolition and site clearance costs; and public liability to anyone else. There are some other issues such as the level of excess that are set out in a lender’s Part 2 conditions. These obligations are not specific to conveyancing in London.

What is your number one tip for choosing a conveyancing solicitor in London

Do not opt for the cheapest London conveyancing quote. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

I have instructed a London solicitor having checked that they are on the HSBC conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

HSBC will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually HSBC will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own London surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

My offer on a detached house in London has been agreed to, but there is a chain. The sellers have placed an offer on on an apartment, but it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other apartments booked. I have selected a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in London. What should be my next step? At what stage do I apply for the mortgage with Nottingham?

It is understandable to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses prematurely (home loan application is in the region of £1k, then valuation, London conveyancing search costs, etc). The first thing to do is ensure that your solicitor is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. As to the next stages this very much dictated by the circumstances of your transaction, attraction to the property and on the state of the market. During a hot market some home buyers will apply for the mortgage with Nottingham and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they ask their conveyancer to press on with the conveyancing in London.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on two weeks back in what should have been a quick, chain free conveyancing. London is the location of the property. Can you offer any advice?

Flying freeholds in London are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in London you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in London may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.

Am I best advised to instruct a London conveyancing lawyer who is local to the property I am purchasing? An old friend can perform the conveyancing but his firm is located 200kilometers drive away.

The primary upside of using a local London conveyancing firm is that you can visit the firm to sign paperwork, hand in your ID and apply pressure on them where appropriate. They will also have local knowledge which is a plus. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If if people you trust instructed your friend and they were content that should outweigh using an unfamiliar London conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being local.

I work for a reputable estate agency in London where we have witnessed a few flat sales jeopardised due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local London conveyancing firms. Can you confirm whether the seller of a flat can instigate the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. 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.

Alternatively, it may be possible 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 purchaser.

I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord to extend my lease without getting anywhere. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on such issues? Can you recommend a London conveyancing firm to represent me?

Where there is a missing freeholder or where there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the LVT to determine the price payable.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a London property is 20 Avonwick Road in July 2013. The Tribunal was dealing with an application under Section 26 of the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 for a determination of the freehold value of the property. It was concluded that the price to be paid was Fifteen Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventy (£15,970) divided as to £8,200 for Flat 20 and £7,770 for Flat 20A This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 73.26 years.