We previously chose conveyancing lawyers located in Luton on the Virgin Money solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a further sum for the legal aspects of the Virgin Money mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Virgin Money?

As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your property lawyer can levy a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by Virgin Money but by your Luton conveyancer. Some firms on the Virgin Money panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Luton. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?

Most banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.

Having digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Luton solicitor - who is on the TSB conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

TSB will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually TSB 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. Your conveyancing practitioner will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Luton postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with TSB, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Luton.

I require fast conveyancing in Luton as I am faced with pressure to sign on the dotted line within one month. A mortgage is not required. Can I decline from having conveyancing searches to save fees and time?

As you are are a cash purchaser you have the choice not to do searches although no lawyer would recommend that you don't. With plenty of history conveyancing in Luton the following are instances of issues that can show up and therefore impact future mortgageability: Refused Planning Applications, Overdue Fees, Outstanding Grants, Unadopted Roads,...

I used Wolstenholmes a few years past for my conveyancing in Luton. I now require my file however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Luton of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I was recommended by numerous property agents in Luton to select a property lawyer using your seach tool. What’s the financial incentive for Estate Agents to promote your site over another?

We refuse to make any referral fee for directing people in our direction. We found it would be just too difficult a fee because members of the public would think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

I have just started marketing my basement apartment in Luton. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, however I have just received a yearly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is clear the invoice as you normally would as all rents and maintenance payments should be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Luton - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

How much is the annual maintenance fee and ground rent? Make sure you enquire if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. For example some leases prohibit pets being allowed in certain buildings in Luton. If you love the propertyin Luton but your dog is not allowed to make the move with you then you will be faced hard compromise. The best form of lease structure is where the freehold reversion is owned by the leaseholders. In this scenario the lessees benefit from being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is often retained where the building is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves.