I am in a contract race with another prospective purchaser for a property in North Kensington. What can be done to expedite the conveyancing process?

First, If the seller is applying a tight deadline to complete it is advisable to make sure that your lawyer is familiar with the location as they will make use of local connections and know-how. It is possible that they may have conducted otherproperties in the same road. Therefore consider using a North Kensington conveyancing solicitor. In addition, double check that the lawyer is on the lender panel. It is understood that just under twenty per cent of North Kensington conveyancing deals are frustrated or jeopardised after finding out that a buyer’s conveyancer was not on their banks member panel. In many cases this discovery resulted in the home move being delayed by almost three weeks. It is estimated that this issue impacts approximately 100,000 home moves annually. Almost all North Kensington conveyancing firms can not represent certain mortgage companies so do check as early as possible.

As someone unfamiliar with the North Kensington conveyancing process what’s the number one tip you can impart concerning the legal transfer of property in North Kensington

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in North Kensington and elsewhere in West London is often a confrontational experience. In other words, when it comes to conveyancing there is plenty of room for friction between you and other parties involved in the house moving process. E.g., the seller, selling agent and even potentially the mortgage company. Appointing a law firm for your conveyancing in North Kensington is a critical decision as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONLY party in the legal process whose role it is to look after your legal interests and to keep you safe.

We are witnessing a distinct ongoing adversarial element to conveyancing- someone has to be at fault for the process taking so long. We recommend that you should always trust your lawyer ahead of all other players in the home moving process.

I have been told that property searches are the main cause of obstruction in North Kensington conveyancing transactions. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released determinations of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the most frequent causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Local searches are not likely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in North Kensington.

I purchased a 4 bedroom Edwardian house in North Kensington. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Santander. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You should assess 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 North Kensington and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the situation with your conveyancing lawyer who completed the work.

How does conveyancing in North Kensington differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build property in North Kensington come to us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is completed. This is because house builders in North Kensington tend to purchase the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in North Kensington or who has acted in the same development.