We are purchasing a house and require a conveyancing solicitor in Orpington who is on the HSBC approved panel. Could you point me in the right direction as regards a solicitor?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for HSBC . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Orpington.

This question may be naive but I am new to the process as FTB of a ground floor flat in Orpington. Do I pick up the keys to the house on the completion date from my conveyancer? If so, I will appoint a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Orpington?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will arrange to send the completion advance to the owner’s lawyers, and once they have received this, you will be able to pick up the keys from the Estate Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen early afternoon.

We previously chose conveyancers locally in Orpington on the Co-operative solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me a supplemental fee for the legal aspects of the Co-operative mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Co-operative?

As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your property lawyer may charge a fee for this. The fee is not dictated by Co-operative but by your Orpington solicitor. Some firms on the Co-operative panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Orpington. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £150. Shortly after, the lawyer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Lloyds panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I am buying a new build apartment in Orpington. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.

Set out below are examples of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Orpington

The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. Please provide evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme.

My husband and I are a fortnight into a residential purchase having been directed to solicitors by the local agent to handle our conveyancing in Orpington. I am not happy. Can you you assist me in finding new conveyancers?

A solicitor would need to be very bad to suggest changing them. Has the mortgage been generated? If so you need to advise them of the new contact details and have the loan are issued to the new lawyers. Your new conveyancer should be on the mortgage company panel to avoid supplemental costs and delays. So that should be your starting point. Our search tool can assist you in finding a bank approved solicitor for your home move in Orpington

I have given up trying to purchase the freehold in Orpington. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?

You certainly can. We can put you in touch with a Orpington conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Orpington flat is 1 Southlands Court Southlands Road in September 2013. The Leasehold Valuation Tribunal determined that the premium to be paid by the tenant on the grant of a new lease, in accordance with section 56 and Schedule 13 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 was £30,541 This case affected 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 50.57 years.

What are the common problems that you come across in leases for Orpington properties?

Leasehold conveyancing in Orpington is not unique. All leases are individual and drafting errors can result in certain provisions are missing. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.

A defective lease will likely cause problems when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. National Westminster Bank, Bank of Scotland, and Nottingham Building Society all have very detailed conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the purchaser to pull out.