We have rather assertive sellers who has insisted on a preliminary contract with a payment 6,000. Are such agreements sensible?

There are two main drawbacks with signing a lock out agreement (sometimes termed a shut-out contract) is that it takes away the focus from moving forward with the conveyancing transaction itself, so in the absence of it needing limited or no negotiation then it could transpire to be unhelpful. It is not particularly popular by North East London conveyancing lawyers for this reason. The other main concern is the extent of the remedies available - a jilted purchaser should not expect to secure an injunction to prevent the owner selling to a third party, so the only remedy open via the contract will be the recovery of abortive charges and, in rare circumstances, the additional payment of damages.

five months have elapsed since my purchase conveyancing in North East London took place. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £160,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I put an offer in two weeks back in what should have been a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. North East London is the location of the property. Can you offer any advice?

Flying freeholds in North East London are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside North East London you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in North East 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 residence.

I was advised by two or three local selling agents in North East London to get a quote from a conveyancer using your seach tool. What’s the financial incentive for Estate Agents to recommend your services over another?

We don’t give any referral fee for sending work in our direction. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission as home movers will think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.

What can I expect to pay for conveyancing in North East London?

Almost all North East London conveyancing firms will agree to a set fee. If extra work become due during the transaction your property lawyer should advise you in writing of any extra costs for any work as soon as it becomes apparent. Some work on a no move no cost offering, others will charge a proportion of the set fee, depending on the stage at which the deal does not go ahead.

It may be helpful for you to seek a few conveyancers to provide you a quotation.